What have you fettled today?

[rogerzilla]

Cleaned up a Brompton chain tensioner (derailleur type) and overhauled the nasty Brompton front hub.  7 caged balls per side on a bike that costs as much as a decent carbon road bike.  WTF?  I put in 10 loose balls instead and plenty of Mr Philip Wood's best green California goo.  Can't do much about the eccentric drilling, though - most of them are like that.  How cheap can a hub get?!

[rogerzilla]

Removed a Brompton bottom bracket, which was as tricky as usual.  Bolted the tool in tightly and thankfully it didn't chew the "lockrings".  Right rusty mess inside the shell (they go in ungreased) so I'll chase and face it.

Now I see where the Westboro Baptist Church went wrong.  God doesn't hate fags.  God hates FAGs.

[rogerzilla]

Reassrmbled the SRAM T3 hub.  The last one of these I did didn't have the separate thrust washer ("X") in the planet cage, so that confused me for a while.  And that's the last of the special SRAM IGH grease gone.  Funny stuff - it's thicker than most greases but quickly spreads when worked into the hub.  Smells faintly of tobacco.  I used Phil Wood grease for the ball races, ensuring the greases didn't mix.  The SRAM stuff is a bit too thick for free running IMO.

[Jayjay]

New wheel bearings in the trailer. Carry Freedom Y large, 6001 shielded now 6001 -2RS. One was squeaking a bit during and after the washing machine load.

[T42]

We had lost the key to the padlock on the door* of the parrot's cage, so I had the fun of breaking it open with the two-spanners trick.  Was surprised it actually worked, and that the parrot didn't [try to] eat the spanners while I was doing it.

* the catch broke years ago

[rogerzilla]

Fixed a Brompton folding pedal using the procedure outlined in here, er, 12 years ago.  A big vice makes things easier.

Tomorrow...drilling the heads off the rear hinge bolts.  From experience, this takes three or four cheap 6.5mm drill bits from Wilko and a hand-cranked drill.  You apply cutting oil, lean on the drill handle with all your weight and turn the chuck.  Any speed just heats and hardens the metal.  Then an M10 tap to grip the bush and a drift to knock it out.  I probably used the old spindle last time.

[Asterix, the former Gaul.]

Found the saddle on the Roberts was nearly 20mm too far forward.  Moved it back.  My last ride I averaged 26.6 km/h when it should have been 27. This was clearly the problem.

[rogerzilla]

The Brompton bushes are out.  Phew.

1. Go to Wilko and buy 4 x HSS drill bits.  It took 3 last time.
2. Discover Wilko drill bits are now made from cheese and literally useless.
3. Drive to B&Q.  Nothing useful there.
4. Order DeWalt 6.5mm cobalt drill from Screwfix and collect it.
5. DeWalt cobalt drill has both bolt heads off in under 90 seconds.  Buy one!
6. Screw in M10 tap.
7. Drift M10 tap out from far side.
8. Sheee-ite.  The bushes have been in since 2005 and the bronze shell has welded itself to the frame.  The M10 tap merely removes some of the nylon bearing surface.
9. Spend 2 hours carefully slotting and collapsing the bushes inwards, as you might a seatpost.  It works.
10. Learning points:

(a) Buy a DeWalt cobalt drill.
(b) Grease the outside of the new bushes before fitting them (Brompton, you bastards)

[Gattopardo]

Fancy doing my rear hinge?

Does the rear hinge require reaming everytime?

[Tim Hall]

Replaced the back tyre (Durano Plus) on the fixer/commuter. I'd picked up a couple of punctures lately and it was looking a little worn. Bunged the old and new on the scales. The old one was 40g lighter (about 10%) than the new.

[rogerzilla]

Fancy doing my rear hinge?

Does the rear hinge require reaming everytime?

In theory the new bushes need reaming, yes.  This is not straightforward as Brompton will no longer sell you the tool.  A 3/8" hand reamer will do it but the parallel section of the flutes must be at least 2 1/2" long so you are doing both sides simultaneously, and there is still the possibility of cocking it up and having to buy more bushes (at lesst fresh ones should pull out easily).

It is not a user-friendly design!

[Polar Bear]

The Brompton bushes are out.  Phew.

1. Go to Wilko and buy 4 x HSS drill bits.  It took 3 last time.
2. Discover Wilko drill bits are now made from cheese and literally useless.
3. Drive to B&Q.  Nothing useful there.
4. Order DeWalt 6.5mm cobalt drill from Screwfix and collect it.
5. DeWalt cobalt drill has both bolt heads off in under 90 seconds.  Buy one!
6. Screw in M10 tap.
7. Drift M10 tap out from far side.
8. Sheee-ite.  The bushes have been in since 2005 and the bronze shell has welded itself to the frame.  The M10 tap merely removes some of the nylon bearing surface.
9. Spend 2 hours carefully slotting and collapsing the bushes inwards, as you might a seatpost.  It works.
10. Learning points:

(a) Buy a DeWalt cobalt drill.
(b) Grease the outside of the new bushes before fitting them (Brompton, you bastards)

The moral of your Brompton fettling woes appears to be that when one buys a new Brommie, completely dismantle and reassemble it with appropriate grease and care.

[rogerzilla]

That's what my mate did with a new one last year.  He sent a complaint to Brompton about the lack of grease in assembly.  It took him a day to get the pedals off an unridden bike.

I dismantled and rebuilt the wheels on mine when it was a week.old, because they were so bad.

There is a Brompton fanboy on another forum who reams me (pun intended) for pointing out these things, but they'll never improve if no-one complains.

[Asterix, the former Gaul.]

Mrs A's Brommie was bought in 1997.  It's done about 40 miles so far, if that.  I bought one the same time and commuted on it for years, it had a hard time but when I decided to sell it it was no problem to service it.  Loads of ebay bids and a good price.  The buyer also left good feedback so must have found it ok.

Standards have slipped?  What a surprise.

[rogerzilla]

They do hold up to abuse well, and prices of ancient ones are about twice what they were when new.

[Mr Larrington]

Installed a floor-standing fan in the Great Hall, that my TdF-watching later this month will not result in lightly-broiled Mr Larrington.  Next I need to replace the ancient and saggy net curtains in order to prevent TV's G Imlach, *** Boulting, Super D Millar, Nice C Boardman ect ect from disappearing if when the sun comes out.  This may well involve balancing precariously on the sofa while wielding an anbaric drill.

[Gattopardo]

That's what my mate did with a new one last year.  He sent a complaint to Brompton about the lack of grease in assembly.  It took him a day to get the pedals off an unridden bike.

I dismantled and rebuilt the wheels on mine when it was a week.old, because they were so bad.

There is a Brompton fanboy on another forum who reams me (pun intended) for pointing out these things, but they'll never improve if no-one complains.

Having bought a brand new front wheel, I had to grease the hub as it was dry and ran rough from new. 

Still think that drilling a grease nipple in to the rear bearing would help.

[rogerzilla]

Guess what I've been doing?  Drilled and tapped a hole to M6.  Short blanking screw in atm but M6 grease nipples are available.  There are only about 2-3 threads as the tube is quite thin, but I could temporarily fit a nipple, pump it with grease, then unscrew the nipple and gun together before replacing the plug.  If it doesn't need huge pressure to.purge the bearing, I'll just use a cycle grease gun in the hole.

Also pressed the new bushes in using an M8 bolt, nuts and washers.  That went very smoothly.  But they definitely need reaming now - there is no chance the spindle is going in as it is!

20210611_191754 by rogerzilla, on Flickr

[cygnet]

Replaced the rear mech cable on my PX TT bike. Internal routing is a bit of a pain, made a little easier by the removable panel (fairing- is that allowed??) under the BB.

The downside? The shop that fitted the cable last time put a cable inner around the previous cable as it went from BB to rear mech. This is now lost forever, inside the drive side chainstay. At least it's light!

[robgul]

Replaced the rear mech cable on my PX TT bike. Internal routing is a bit of a pain, made a little easier by the removable panel (fairing- is that allowed??) under the BB.

The downside? The shop that fitted the cable last time put a cable inner around the previous cable as it went from BB to rear mech. This is now lost forever, inside the drive side chainstay. At least it's light!

Was the LBS using the gear outer inner plastic tube as guide to get the cable through* or for some othe reason?

* in most frames getting internal cables through the frame is by using a length of outer cable's inner thin plastic pipe as "threading tool".  Park Tool has a cable and magnet system but I've yet to have any success with it despite lots of tries.  My Planet X Evo frame came from the factory with the thin tubes already in (taped to the frame at each frame exit point) - ready to thread in the cables.

[Gattopardo]

Guess what I've been doing?  Drilled and tapped a hole to M6.  Short blanking screw in atm but M6 grease nipples are available.  There are only about 2-3 threads as the tube is quite thin, but I could temporarily fit a nipple, pump it with grease, then unscrew the nipple and gun together before replacing the plug.  If it doesn't need huge pressure to.purge the bearing, I'll just use a cycle grease gun in the hole.

Also pressed the new bushes in using an M8 bolt, nuts and washers.  That went very smoothly.  But they definitely need reaming now - there is no chance the spindle is going in as it is!

20210611_191754 by rogerzilla, on Flickr

Will the grease get to the bearing face with the nylon inserts?

[rogerzilla]

Same as a Moulton (which has bronze Oilite bushings) - there has to be some clearance, or it wouldn't move.  The dimlles you can see in the nylon are for retention of grease but goodness knows how much is left of them after reaming.  The Moulton design is much easier to overhaul but doesn't necessatily last longer.  Something with taper roller bearings would be nice, but I suppose the factory can't work to that sort of precision.

Also learnt that the whole arrangement is imperial: the spindle is 3/8", the correct allen key for the bolts is 5/32", NOT 4mm, and the recommended tap for getting out the old bushes is 7/16" x 20tpi (a bit bigger than the M10 most people have, and will get more purchase on the bush). British engineering from the early 70s!

[cygnet]

Replaced the rear mech cable on my PX TT bike. Internal routing is a bit of a pain, made a little easier by the removable panel (fairing- is that allowed??) under the BB.

The downside? The shop that fitted the cable last time put a cable inner around the previous cable as it went from BB to rear mech. This is now lost forever, inside the drive side chainstay. At least it's light!

Was the LBS using the gear outer inner plastic tube as guide to get the cable through* or for some othe reason?

* in most frames getting internal cables through the frame is by using a length of outer cable's inner thin plastic pipe as "threading tool".  Park Tool has a cable and magnet system but I've yet to have any success with it despite lots of tries.  My Planet X Evo frame came from the factory with the thin tubes already in (taped to the frame at each frame exit point) - ready to thread in the cables.

That is exactly the approach that used : a guide
The downside to the LBS approach was a perfectly cut to fit length of "inner"  between the BB and the chainstay outlet which is impossible to retrieve once friction from removing the cable has dragged the only end you might have got fingers on, into the body of the frame.

[robgul]

Replaced the rear mech cable on my PX TT bike. Internal routing is a bit of a pain, made a little easier by the removable panel (fairing- is that allowed??) under the BB.

The downside? The shop that fitted the cable last time put a cable inner around the previous cable as it went from BB to rear mech. This is now lost forever, inside the drive side chainstay. At least it's light!

Was the LBS using the gear outer inner plastic tube as guide to get the cable through* or for some othe reason?

* in most frames getting internal cables through the frame is by using a length of outer cable's inner thin plastic pipe as "threading tool".  Park Tool has a cable and magnet system but I've yet to have any success with it despite lots of tries.  My Planet X Evo frame came from the factory with the thin tubes already in (taped to the frame at each frame exit point) - ready to thread in the cables.

That is exactly the approach that used : a guide
The downside to the LBS approach was a perfectly cut to fit length of "inner"  between the BB and the chainstay outlet which is impossible to retrieve once friction from removing the cable has dragged the only end you might have got fingers on, into the body of the frame.

To digress slightly - when replacing gear cables in frames and the usual "fishing" has been frustrating I have had some success with using an MTB brake cable which is rather thicker and stiffer (stays straighter) to get from entry to exit hole as a first pass and then used the plastic tube idea to get the gear cable through.  [I have a 1.5m length of the plastic inner pipe hanging on my woorkshop toolboard]

[hatler]

Another technique for a lost guide is to use an old inner bent double dipped into the hole to act as a loop to catch the intended inner cable as you prod it along the tube.