What have you fettled today?

[LittleWheelsandBig]

Filed some paint off a suspicious paint crack on the top tube of my PBP99 Frezoni.

https://flic.kr/p/2kTjRKA
https://flic.kr/p/2kTmtZV

Time to get some replacement transfers, the tube replaced and repaint. I would have got Joe Cosgrove to repaint it during last year’s planned trip to Oz but C19 scotched all that.

Bit of a sod really. That bike has had a lot of happy miles over the years but I am still surprised. None of the tubes were selected for excessive weight saving.

I guess Argos is the painter of choice for reliably good work. The London-centric options (that are under £500 for paint alone) that I’ve come across reportedly deliver variable quality. I may get somebody else to replace the tube first.

[rogerzilla]

Argos will do a good job on the tube, based on the steerers they've replaced for me.  I think Garry only uses silver solder, but you'd have to check.

[LittleWheelsandBig]

Good, the whole frame is silver brazed.

[rogerzilla]

While parked against Cirencester Abbey Church, one of the resident seagulls/crows/harpies shat on my bike, so I had to declag a Carradice Zipped Roll.  The poo was green and really rather icky.

[eckagain]

While out yesterday I hit a pothole, resulting in a loud cracking sound and my bars slipping down a little in the stem. I adjusted the bars back up, had a quick look round the bike, couldn't see any obvious damage so carried on.
A while later I became aware of an ominous creaking sound, worse when I was out the saddle.
Oh dear, cracked frame or forks? Damaged headset? Broken spoke? Loose bottom bracket?
Nah, none of the above. I just hadn't fully tightened the front QR before I left home.
So, not much fettling needed. Just be more careful next time. 

[MattH]

MrsH managed to get a bullseye stonechip in her windscreen a few days ago. It's been a few years since she last did that; when she had one of the new Minis we had to replace her windscreen twice in two years due to MOT fail levels of irrepairable damage. Since we got rid of that we've had probably five years of damage free screens in different cars.
Anyway, spent a fiver on the RainX chip fixing kit and did that on the drive. It's worked very well, dead easy and about five minute's work (across half an hour of elapsed time). We'll see how it holds up long term, but it seems pretty good plus cheaper (even with insurance paying) and less hassle than going out trying to find someone doing them in supermarket car parks.

[quixoticgeek]

Upgraded the security in Mother's back garden.
I cannot tell you the details of what I did.
Were I to do so, I'd have to kill you.

My request to building management to install one of these in the hallway was denied...

No idea why...

J

[Jurek]

Replaced all the quick release buckles on my recently purchased Haglöfs rucksack with quick release buckles from ITW Nexus, for the simple reason that, like YKK zips, they work.

Will be doing the same with the slightly smaller Haglöfs rucksack which turned up at about the same time as the larger one.

[Diver300]

I got one of these working:- https://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/battery-chargers/5388989/

Diagnosis turned out to be fairly easy. The main capacitor was bulging and it measured 33 nF, in contrast to its rating of 150 μF.

I didn't have a 150 μF 400 V capacitor so I drilled additional holes in the PCB put in three smaller ones in parallel.

[CAMRAMan]

I put Green Johanna* together in broad daylight in the back garden.

* A hot composter

35 quid via the council, which is reasonable for what it is, although the list price of over 100 quid seems extortionate, but that's what a Gardeners' World recommendation does, I spose.

[Kim]

I've un-fettled the adult-proofing notches from the lids of some bottles of bleach, having discovered that barakta was in the habit of leaving them loose in the interests of being able to open them unassisted.

[robgul]

I put Green Johanna* together in broad daylight in the back garden.

* A hot composter

35 quid via the council, which is reasonable for what it is, although the list price of over 100 quid seems extortionate, but that's what a Gardeners' World recommendation does, I spose.

We got one last week courtesy of either Warwickshire or Stratford-upon-Avon LA (I'm guessing you're in SuA, just, at the new abode?) - the "real price" seemed outrageous.   BTW they also have some other subsidised "Dalek" compost bins on the deal, we have a couple of those too.

[CAMRAMan]

I like the fact that you can put almost anything organic in it. That and the water butt have taken up the spare space in the garden and it'll take a while for both to fill up the way things are going.

[campagman]

A few weeks ago a neighbour pointed out that my roof pointing is loose. When I worked out what he was talking about , yes , I saw that it had moved a fair amount. Fortunately I can reach (just) up by standing on the adjacent garage roof. I went straight up and pushed the pointing back. Of course I later did some Googling and saw that a dry verge system is the way to go. I have contacted nobody about this yet although I went up again today as the pointing had moved again although not as much. I tried to pull the section of loose mortar out but struggled so I don’t think it can drop down and cause further damage.

[FifeingEejit]

Almost got my garage sorted now.

Next I might actually get to ride one of the bikes outside.

Sent from my BKL-L09 using Tapatalk

[Asterix, the former Gaul.]

A few weeks ago a neighbour pointed out that my roof pointing is loose. When I worked out what he was talking about , yes , I saw that it had moved a fair amount. Fortunately I can reach (just) up by standing on the adjacent garage roof. I went straight up and pushed the pointing back. Of course I later did some Googling and saw that a dry verge system is the way to go. I have contacted nobody about this yet although I went up again today as the pointing had moved again although not as much. I tried to pull the section of loose mortar out but struggled so I don’t think it can drop down and cause further damage.

On my French re-roof we used a dry ridge where the ridge tiles are held by clips and rest on insect-proof gauze.  I have seen it used in the UK but very rarely so far.

The French produce some superb clay tiles west of the Limousin.

[T42]

Puzzling over my RD. Ultegra, 50/34+11/32 setup. Last week I swapped the Connex link, which was clunky on the 11T sprocket, for a standard SRAM. Thereafter the chain wouldn't drop down onto the 11T and I didn't change anything else.  Just now I undid the clamping screw, let out a little cable, and clamped it again.  Now the chain will drop onto the 11T (and go no further), but will no longer climb onto the innermost 32T sprocket.  I'm beginning to think that something has gone awry inside the shifter.

[Feanor]

Puzzling over my RD. Ultegra, 50/34+11/32 setup. Last week I swapped the Connex link, which was clunky on the 11T sprocket, for a standard SRAM. Thereafter the chain wouldn't drop down onto the 11T and I didn't change anything else.  Just now I undid the clamping screw, let out a little cable, and clamped it again.  Now the chain will drop onto the 11T (and go no further), but will no longer climb onto the innermost 32T sprocket.  I'm beginning to think that something has gone awry inside the shifter.

Undoing the cable clamp and letting cable in / out is a *very* coarse adjustment!
I'm not surprised you can't get the indexing sweet like that.

Use the barrel adjuster on the rear mech to fine-tune the cable tension.
You need to increase the tension a bit, so unscrew the adjuster out of the body of the mech.
Half a turn at a time till it's close, then fine-tune it in quarter turns.
Step the shifter all the way up and down the cassette between adjustments to see where you are in the adjustment.

[rogerzilla]

I swapped the wheels on the car.  Wheels are getting so heavy these days that it'll soon be impossible for one person to get them onto the studs.  These must be 25-30kg each.  19" rims with 225/55 tyres.

EDIT: 27.7kg, apparently.  I am good at guessing weights from a Christmas spent working in a Currys stockroom in 1985.  Basically, 25kg is when it starts to feel "very heavy" - and that was the weight of a Samsung microwave oven at the time.

[rafletcher]

I swapped the wheels on the car.  Wheels are getting so heavy these days that it'll soon be impossible for one person to get them onto the studs.  These must be 25-30kg each.  19" rims with 225/55 tyres.

EDIT: 27.7kg, apparently.  I am good at guessing weights from a Christmas spent working in a Currys stockroom in 1985.  Basically, 25kg is when it starts to feel "very heavy" - and that was the weight of a Samsung microwave oven at the time.

I'd guess wheels and tyres for a Range Rover/Defender/Warrior are already at that point for the occasional home mechanic.  Given I swap my wheels over twice a year too (now they'll be 20x8" with 245/35 and 19x8" with 245/40 tyres) I've for some time been using 2 dummy studs to hang the wheel on when re-fitting.  It's easier now I have an Ateca, as the jack's more "open" before it takes the load, compared to the quite low S3. 

My next wheel fettling will be a DIY "refurb" of the new set of "winter" rims I just scored for £150 and a trip to Bexleyheath via thge Dartford crossing.  At that price it's probably worth me dropping the eBay classified for the "spare" 17" winter I had for the S3 and sticking it in an auction, brand new tyre and all.

[T42]

Puzzling over my RD. Ultegra, 50/34+11/32 setup. Last week I swapped the Connex link, which was clunky on the 11T sprocket, for a standard SRAM. Thereafter the chain wouldn't drop down onto the 11T and I didn't change anything else.  Just now I undid the clamping screw, let out a little cable, and clamped it again.  Now the chain will drop onto the 11T (and go no further), but will no longer climb onto the innermost 32T sprocket.  I'm beginning to think that something has gone awry inside the shifter.

Undoing the cable clamp and letting cable in / out is a *very* coarse adjustment!
I'm not surprised you can't get the indexing sweet like that.

Use the barrel adjuster on the rear mech to fine-tune the cable tension.
You need to increase the tension a bit, so unscrew the adjuster out of the body of the mech.
Half a turn at a time till it's close, then fine-tune it in quarter turns.
Step the shifter all the way up and down the cassette between adjustments to see where you are in the adjustment.

It turned out to be nothing so subtle as the above: cable frayed inside shifter.  So undoing the cable clamp was the right way to start after all.  Unfortunately, getting the ᵫᵮᶄᶚᵳᵴᵺᴥᵯ thing out of the shifter is a different kettle of fish.

Cable had done ~16,000 km. Memo to self: change them at 12,000.

[hubner]

My Moto E3 (2016) phone bought secondhand always seem to have charging problems but recently it has got worse. I bought a new USB port board for £4, fitted it and now the phone seems to charge normally. The only tool needed was a screwdriver.

[T42]

Got the frayed cable out of my RD, put a new cable & housing on, twiddled the rear doo-hickeys and connected it all up again. Works.

[hubner]

Filed some paint off a suspicious paint crack on the top tube of my PBP99 Frezoni.

https://flic.kr/p/2kTjRKA
https://flic.kr/p/2kTmtZV

Time to get some replacement transfers, the tube replaced and repaint. I would have got Joe Cosgrove to repaint it during last year’s planned trip to Oz but C19 scotched all that.

Bit of a sod really. That bike has had a lot of happy miles over the years but I am still surprised. None of the tubes were selected for excessive weight saving.

I guess Argos is the painter of choice for reliably good work. The London-centric options (that are under £500 for paint alone) that I’ve come across reportedly deliver variable quality. I may get somebody else to replace the tube first.

Is that a cable stop, could the crack have been caused by it? Every time the brake is applied, the area around the cable stop is stressed, I would have thought.

[cycleman]

While out for a ride  and near bedlow ridge my front tyre started to bulge. I I deviated to high Wycombe and had a food stop then down the a40 to a halfords. Bought a new tyre. Rode on to Wooburn Green and changed the tyre before continuing homeward