Author Topic: What have you fettled today? (Read 2179588 times)

Mr Larrington · « **Reply #16675 on:** 07 March, 2022, 01:50:00 pm »

Hopefully, a sticky piston on the front brake* of the Perfectly Good Gentleman’s Mountain Bicycle. We’ll find out when I go shopping tomorrow.

* Hope Mono M4

Edit: even allowing for the lack of Mighty Rushing Headwind on the way home I reckon it was costing about 1.5 gears

But I'm now terrified of using the front brake in case the bastard thing sticks again coz freeing it required ultra-violence of the not-available-at-the-roadside kind.

orienteer · « **Reply #16676 on:** 10 March, 2022, 03:47:07 pm »

Haven't made much use of my four and a half bikes over winter, but pumped up some tyres a couple of weeks ago. This week I found the front tyre of the Moulton DP was flat, so took the tube out for examination. No patches on it, bubble test in water gave no results, so put it back assuming I hadn't tightened the presta after pumping it.

Flat again today, so off again and this time pumped it as hard as possible for another bubble test; seems you can't get over 20psi because the bare tube just expands above that.

Another bubble test revealed a very slow leak from the valve, so have tightened the valve stem a bit more and, hoping for the best, put it back again. Hope it's fixed, but can't understand how, after a few years' use, it slackened off.

orienteer · « **Reply #16677 on:** 11 March, 2022, 10:45:06 am »

Well, the tyre has stayed up overnight, but now have another pneumatic problem.

The Air Zound on another bike leaks pressure from where tube connects to the bottle. Can't see how the tube is attached to the bottle cap, want to try using some glue around it. Have Araldite, any better suggestions? $:-\$

Jurek · « **Reply #16678 on:** 11 March, 2022, 11:10:19 am »

Quote from: orienteer on 11 March, 2022, 10:45:06 am

Well, the tyre has stayed up overnight, but now have another pneumatic problem.

The Air Zound on another bike leaks pressure from where tube connects to the bottle. Can't see how the tube is attached to the bottle cap, want to try using some glue around it. Have Araldite, any better suggestions? $:-\$

Jubilee clip?
ETA Silicone sealant?

orienteer · « **Reply #16679 on:** 11 March, 2022, 03:07:26 pm »

Thanks Jurek, but I found how to separate the joint. The tube goes onto a ribbed spout on the lid, and a plain collar slides down the tube to retain it. After trimming the tube and refitting it, found that the leak was further up the tube, so cut it out and rejoined the tube with a length of ballpoint refill. A bubble test now reveals a slight leak from the screw-on bottle lid, so will try applying some Vaseline to the O-ring inside the lid.

All good fun on a rainy day

robgul · « **Reply #16680 on:** 11 March, 2022, 05:18:07 pm »

Busy day in the bicycle workshop today with bikes in from 3 customers - standard servicing plus: totally seized front mech - freed and working again; horrendous squealing disc brakes - having tried the blowtorch on the pads trick and failed fitted new pads; another disc brake issue with the pad retaining axle seized into the caliper - a bit of Dremel work and use of the water pump pliers to grip the axle and unscrew it; fitted new tyre - tube pinched (my fault

) and an explosion.

But hey, I'm getting paid for it all

T42 · « **Reply #16681 on:** 12 March, 2022, 11:10:21 am »

Lotsa stuff, all connected with motorizing my poor old Audax bike.

I need lots of small parts and am taking delight in subscribing to Amazon Prime and getting them all as separate orders.

Jurek · « **Reply #16682 on:** 13 March, 2022, 09:18:19 am »

Yesterday, I availed myself of the cheapest circular saw that B&Q are selling (£38.00 seeing as you are asking) and reduced the fallen fence panels seen here, to bite sized chunks for the bin men to take away over a period of several weeks.

Mrs Pingu · « **Reply #16683 on:** 13 March, 2022, 01:48:36 pm »

Picked through a tray of the worm composter, separating all the worms out and dumped the compost on the garden, now there is space for more food waste in there.
Then I went on poo patrol. The problem with having a big pile of bark chippings at the back of the garden is Pumpkin thinks it's a massive litter tray. I filled 2 bags.

Then I stuck a post on Freegle in the hope that someone will come and take away the pile of huge concrete paving slabs.
Then Pingu and I attempted to dig a laurel out of the ground back there but we were thwarted by roots. Whether that was laurel roots or leylandii roots I'm not sure, probably both. So we really just ended up snapping it off at the ground. That is a job for another day once I've borrowed my brother's pick/mattock. There is another small laurel growing out from under the paving slabs that will need to come out too when they've gone.

JellyLegs · « **Reply #16684 on:** 13 March, 2022, 02:08:44 pm »

Spent part of the morning in the garage, oiling, greasing, adjusting, tightening and generally tweaking all manner of components on my main bike in the hope that it will eliminate a very annoying buy mystery squeak that has developed since a very wet ride last weekend. The offending noise is intermittent, only starts after a few miles have been travelled and seems to prefer the cover of darkness when looking for the source at the unlit roadside is deemed too dangerous. Nothing obvious was found while fettling today so any judgement on whether I have cured the issue without knowing it or just whiled away a couple of hours is going to have to wait until later this week as the heavens have now opened here and I see no point in washing away all that lovely newly applied oil and grease.

Mr Larrington · « **Reply #16685 on:** 13 March, 2022, 07:14:18 pm »

Two panels of the fence, wot belongs to the neighbours, separating the parade ground of Fort Larrington from next door got blown over during Storm Wossname, thereby preventing access to the compost bins. Returned them to the upright position and engineered a support mechanism from breeze blocks, sticks and a wheelbarrow. Neighbour spent a Several of hours this morning wif a chainsaw not fixing it. The bastard.

Spent most of today clearing out divers cupboards in the Fort's kitchen and swearing and filling bin-bags for transport to the tip on the morrow.

Pingu · « **Reply #16686 on:** 13 March, 2022, 07:23:29 pm »

Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 13 March, 2022, 01:48:36 pm

...Then I went on poo patrol. The problem with having a big pile of bark chippings at the back of the garden is Pumpkin thinks it's a massive litter tray. I filled 2 bags. ...

There was a lot of cat poo too.

Mrs Pingu · « **Reply #16687 on:** 13 March, 2022, 08:02:15 pm »

T42 · « **Reply #16688 on:** 15 March, 2022, 01:15:19 pm »

Finished motorizing my old Audax warhorse: 135mm motor-wheel was a bit hard to shove into 130mm rear dropouts so I put in a slime tube 'cos I don't fancy fixing it at the roadside. Also remounted my old seatpost rack with an alarm cunningly hidden under it, resurrected my SON front wheel with its 3mm spokes and added a new B&M headlamp. Ran out of black cable ties.

Rear left seat-stay looks like a right dog's breakfast but WTF cares, the bike's already desecrated:

Hoping it'll be fun to ride, but at 15.5 kg without the rack, spare battery & charger I have my doubts. Still, when the mechanic was setting up wheel-size etc in the controller she mumbled something about "max. speed is 25 kph but you can have 10% error so... 28".

JellyLegs · « **Reply #16689 on:** 15 March, 2022, 09:36:39 pm »

Quote from: JellyLegs on 13 March, 2022, 02:08:44 pm

Spent part of the morning in the garage, oiling, greasing, adjusting, tightening and generally tweaking all manner of components on my main bike in the hope that it will eliminate a very annoying buy mystery squeak that has developed since a very wet ride last weekend……….any judgement on whether I have cured the issue without knowing it or just whiled away a couple of hours is going to have to wait until later this week…

The weekend’s fettling was a total failure. This evening’s test ride suffered the same audible accompaniment as before. Back to square one tomorrow.

robgul · « **Reply #16690 on:** 19 March, 2022, 08:54:06 pm »

Dug out, compacted, added membrane and sand, compacted, laid 48 off 400 x 400 slabs (only 4 cuts

) swept in kiln dried sand, compacted. Looks good - it's just the path at the side of the garage to make it easier to get the wheelie bins in and out.

Back and knees are aching a bit now - first time with a hired wacker machine was good fun.

Jurek · « **Reply #16691 on:** 20 March, 2022, 05:49:56 pm »

Fettled some trellis to the top of newly constructed fence.

It goes without saying that, proportionally, it's all a bit Pete Tong.
It should be two squares above the top of the fence, and not three.

I will remedy this next weekend, when I trellis the bit of fence behind the shed - I can't carry more than two trellis panels home from Wickes at one time.

Mrs Pingu · « **Reply #16692 on:** 20 March, 2022, 06:11:22 pm »

Dug a big hole. Went to the DIY shedde for Postcrete and a club hammer. Creted the post. Woo, I can has washing line soon (once I've fettled the wall anchor).

2022-03-20_06-04-26 by The Pingus, on Flickr
Did violence to several 90x60 concrete paving stones (I tried Freegle but obv no one else fancied trying to lift 60kg of paving slab either) and took them to the tip. Came home and broke another one up. Failed at the next one cos it's reinforced, gave up for the day. There are still another 2 to be broken up

Think I might be a bit sore tomorrow.

robgul · « **Reply #16693 on:** 20 March, 2022, 06:39:45 pm »

Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 20 March, 2022, 06:11:22 pm

Dug a big hole. Went to the DIY shedde for Postcrete and a club hammer. Creted the post. Woo, I can has washing line soon (once I've fettled the wall anchor).
2022-03-20_06-04-26 by The Pingus, on Flickr
Did violence to several 90x60 concrete paving stones (I tried Freegle but obv no one else fancied trying to lift 60kg of paving slab either) and took them to the tip. Came home and broke another one up. Failed at the next one cos it's reinforced, gave up for the day. There are still another 2 to be broken up
Think I might be a bit sore tomorrow.

Some of the broken pavings could have been lost in the big hole - topped up with postcrete.

Mrs Pingu · « **Reply #16694 on:** 20 March, 2022, 06:44:19 pm »

Hmm that would have been a good idea. Oh well.

rafletcher · « **Reply #16695 on:** 20 March, 2022, 06:53:45 pm »

Wheels. 3 sets of tubeless tyres topped up with sealant. 2 sets of Di2 updated. Oh yes, when updating the battery firmware it’s heartstopping to have the shifters stop responding until you plug in the charger again, then disconnect it again before everything is back to normal.

Tim Hall · « **Reply #16696 on:** 21 March, 2022, 08:53:22 am »

Yesterday I:
Cut the grass in the upper 50 acres. Rod Stewart is wrong, the first cut wants to leave it fairly long.
Rearranged the SEECRIT bunker so I can get to the bikes I want more a easily.
Rearranged the TINY shed so I can open the door without being engulfed in gardening tqt.
Molished a Chocklit cake for my Young Lady's birthday.
Roasted a chicken for me and The Boy.

Knackered.

rogerzilla · « **Reply #16697 on:** 21 March, 2022, 02:28:34 pm »

Mate has ordered a new £3200 tourer because he was fed up of the gears slipping on his Dalesman.

On Sat we overhauled the Dalesman's rear hub, flushed the freehub and fitted a new cassette and chain. Gears no longer slip and nothing rumbles

The Family Cyclist · « **Reply #16698 on:** 21 March, 2022, 02:42:38 pm »

Friday and Saturday I single handedly assembled an ikea raised bed in a tiny box room. Was meant to have help but as got the lurgy help sensibly stayed away. The room is so small instead of building in sections like instructed I had to assemble in situ and perform some contortionist like displays including using a screwdriver bit in my 1/4 drive socket as no room to actually get a screwdriver in.

I then sanded the repairs and then painted the other slightly larger bedroom then refitted the radiator in the small room which did involve leaning through the shelves built into into bed.

Next weekend will involve emptying the larger room carpet being laid (professionally not by me) and then building another ikea bed and putting stuff back in the room

Oh I also dispatched a I'll chicken Friday, not sure if that fits here

robgul · « **Reply #16699 on:** 21 March, 2022, 03:21:08 pm »

Constructed a wooden frame with a thin wire mesh covering to make a "screen door" for my wife's greenhouse - to use when the greenhouse door needs to be left open as it's too hot, stopping squirrels and/or birds entering and chewing stuff being grown.