Author Topic: What have you fettled today? (Read 2164229 times)

spesh · « **Reply #1150 on:** 08 January, 2010, 08:09:28 pm »

Took the Conti Sportcontacts off my Subway and fitted my old Specialized Extreme Control/Master mud tyres. Then had to drill a new screw hole in the rear mudguard so that I could rotate it forwards, allowing the rear end to clear the tyre knobs.

Looks like the snow/ice will remain for long enough to make this mod worthwhile, and there's supposedly more SNO forecast for the weekend...

rogerzilla · « **Reply #1151 on:** 08 January, 2010, 08:43:45 pm »

Similarly, I took the Marathon Pluses off the Inbred and fitted CX Pro 'cross tyres of the same width (1.35"). These work pretty well, but I'm going to stick a load of screws and Duck Tape in them tomorrow.

Tim Hall · « **Reply #1152 on:** 09 January, 2010, 06:18:52 pm »

Popped in to visit a friend while out on the spikey tyred MTB.

The handle on her tumble drier has borked. Currently she and her son use their four hands and slender fingers to prize it open.

Scratch head.

Rummage in pannier.

Produce VAR tyre lever et voila!, the door, she opens!

GruB · « **Reply #1153 on:** 09 January, 2010, 08:32:38 pm »

Put a curtain rail up and a double curtain for the front door to reduce the draft.
Also fitted my new winter studded tyres onto the MTB ready for a test ride tomorrow.

oncemore · « **Reply #1154 on:** 09 January, 2010, 09:08:27 pm »

"I fettled my lovely oldskool Rockhopper,....."

What a VERY nice Rocky!! In any weather!

I laced first of a pair of lightish (XT and Mavic X221) wheels as spares for my 853 Saracen for when the spring comes.....altho' the Race Lites look better!

clarion · « **Reply #1155 on:** 10 January, 2010, 06:31:19 pm »

Got the cassette changed and a new chain on the Orbit.

But I had problems with changing still, which I'd put down to badly worn components. And the chain was rubbing the seatstay, which is not acceptable.

Stripped it back down to find that I had two spacers behind the cassette, fitted by Pearsons when they made the dog's breakfast of sorting the bike after my summer off

Presumably it was a bodge to avoid something that I'm not yet suffering from, but it's a bit shoddy. I had wondered how my chain had dropped behind the big sprocket so easily... $:-\$

Now, though, I've tried each spacer in turn, and one fits just about perfectly, so I've refitted and now it shifts really well.

I've bought a Wipperman chain for the first time ever. It migh have been helpful if the retailer had mentioned that they came with powerlink-style joints, so I didn't order an excess $:-\$

Hey ho. I have a bike that should be easier to pedal & change gear on. Hope the weather improves soon, so this chain doesn't die too soon...

btw, you know you're a cyclist when mopping the kitchen floor involves WD40

kevinp · « **Reply #1156 on:** 10 January, 2010, 08:17:22 pm »

I washed the bike today..... in the shower, to cold outside

peterc · « **Reply #1157 on:** 11 January, 2010, 08:47:03 pm »

My iglo...

Cut a door, but still and 3rd or so to go, I have a plan for a skylight...

and wifi of course.

clarion · « **Reply #1158 on:** 12 January, 2010, 09:53:16 am »

Re-fettled the new cassette last night. For some reason, one spacer isn't enough to reset the hub for the 7-speed.

So I've given in & put the second back in, adjusting my limit screws so I can't use the smallest sprocket

birchtheyouth · « **Reply #1159 on:** 12 January, 2010, 12:55:56 pm »

Thanks Clarion for reminding us that bike shops do sometimes know what they are doing

clarion · « **Reply #1160 on:** 12 January, 2010, 02:25:03 pm »

If they'd known what they were doing, they would have doen what I asked. When they discovered that it wouldn't fit, they could have called me, as I requested, and advised going to an 8-speed cassette, which I had asked about. They might also have told me if they'd used an additional spacer, warned me about the bodge that damaged my seatstay, and adjusted the limit screws so that the mech didn't throw the chain off the big sprocket at the low end. How I laughed when that happened as I was climbing a hill!

No. For that, and many other examples I put in a letter to Guy Pearson he hasn't bothered to answer, I know that they haven't a clue. Bodgers at best.

But I recognise you're new, so you might not have been able to read the previous events in this saga.

EDIT: The bike is now safely ridable, pending further components arriving, but, if I called myself a professional mechanic, or even had the chutzpah to charge for it, I would be ashamed to my core to let a bike in the unamended state roll out the door.

Chris N · « **Reply #1161 on:** 13 January, 2010, 07:54:03 pm »

Building a new front wheel for the 'rat.

From this:

to this:

My fifth full build - took about 1 1/2 hours all in, and went very smoothly indeed.

oncemore · « **Reply #1162 on:** 13 January, 2010, 09:20:57 pm »

Must be the weather for wheel building! Laced the second of my new mtb wheels today. Haven't trued it yet (I haven't got a wheel stand and too cold to use the frame outside - I'll get it in the kitchen tomorrow!). But once spokes in right place rest ain't too laborious.

clarion · « **Reply #1163 on:** 14 January, 2010, 10:04:05 pm »

Got an 8-spd cassette & fitted it now. Clearances are tight, and I've worked out what the Pearsons baboons did - they used a 135mm hub instead of 130mm, and the slightly different angle of the stay to the chain made what was a close pass into interference.

CrinklyLion · « **Reply #1164 on:** 14 January, 2010, 11:43:16 pm »

I've assisted in the dismantling of several bikes, and then actually fixed summat - I took one of the (many) bikes that I bought as a Christmas present for various small children of my acquaintance with me to the rescue volunteer night. Replaced a brake cable and a bust noodle, and another bit wot I don't know the name of and now the front brake works

And nobody laughed at my attempt at second hand bike purchasing, and they reckoned it was in generally not bad nick.

Left the bike there, and next week I'll be replacing brake blocks and adjusting brakes then sorting out a minor wibble in a wheel. This is very advanced stuff, for me.

Butterfly · « **Reply #1165 on:** 14 January, 2010, 11:46:48 pm »

Quote from: CrinklyLion on 14 January, 2010, 11:43:16 pm

I've assisted in the dismantling of several bikes, and then actually fixed summat - I took one of the (many) bikes that I bought as a Christmas present for various small children of my acquaintance with me to the rescue volunteer night. Replaced a brake cable and a bust noodle, and another bit wot I don't know the name of and now the front brake works And nobody laughed at my attempt at second hand bike purchasing, and they reckoned it was in generally not bad nick.

Left the bike there, and next week I'll be replacing brake blocks and adjusting brakes then sorting out a minor wibble in a wheel. This is very advanced stuff, for me.

All power to your elbow

. Good for you.

Moloko · « **Reply #1166 on:** 15 January, 2010, 12:36:37 pm »

Replaced the worn gear cable on the ol' fugly MTB.
It has a 7 speed SIS system, but it's running a 5 speed gear.
Setting the 'limit adjusting screws' precisely is a must.

TimO · « **Reply #1167 on:** 15 January, 2010, 10:12:08 pm »

I just swapped the rear wheel over on the Kaffenback, which meant of course removing and replacing the cassette, inner tube, and tyre.

Refitting it, I decided that it was probably a good idea to replace the blocks, since the rim was a slightly different size, so the wear pattern would be different. After getting all that adjusted, I found that the cable was a little rusted, and was sticking, so that had to be replaced as well.

I also had to move the front light mount onto a Topeak Xtender, so it could look over the bar bag. Of course I had to find the two old Xtenders I had, one which had a slightly broken plastic bit, and the other which had a part missing. The two together made one whole working one.

Two hours later I'd finished all the quick bit of fettling! At least the bikes now ready for tomorrows "Freeze Your Bits Off" camp.

rogerzilla · « **Reply #1168 on:** 17 January, 2010, 04:18:17 pm »

Took off the studded tyres and refitted the Marathon Pluses.

This could get boring if I have to do it every week - please stay warm now...

spesh · « **Reply #1169 on:** 17 January, 2010, 04:23:06 pm »

Quote from: rogerzilla on 17 January, 2010, 04:18:17 pm

Took off the studded tyres and refitted the Marathon Pluses.

Likewise, I've been refitting the Sportcontacts and the original mudguard on to my commuter, and finally refitting the mudguards on my road bike.

Quote

This could get boring if I have to do it every week - please stay warm now...

As I mentioned in the SNO thread, now that I'm fully equipped for a SNOpocalyspe, it just isn't going to happen again.

Polar Bear · « **Reply #1170 on:** 17 January, 2010, 04:26:09 pm »

Wheeled the tourer out of the workshop, inflated the tyres and oiled the chain. Put some air in the tyres of Stoker's tourer also.

Went for a ride.

The tourer was last used for cycle-camping in September.

TimO · « **Reply #1171 on:** 17 January, 2010, 06:34:12 pm »

Stopped in Southwark to put new blocks on the rear brakes of the Kaffenback, after 60 odd miles of cycling on the roads of Essex and Suffolk during the Freeze Your Bits Off Camping trip wore away a quite vast amount of what I thought was a brake block in acceptable condition. The front brake block, which was brand new on Friday, had also worn to the extent that I had to tweak the cable adjuster, since the lever was now hitting the handlebars.

Muddy crud on your rims and brake pads seems to be able to kill the pads in a very short period of time.

Bledlow · « **Reply #1172 on:** 17 January, 2010, 08:05:06 pm »

OT, but - gutter at the back of the house. With neighbour on one side.

The shards of the old one now need to be disposed of.

clarion · « **Reply #1173 on:** 17 January, 2010, 09:58:28 pm »

Cleaned Suffolk off the bikes to the best of my ability (it's quite tenacious), and oiled the chains.

Brake block changing tomorrow.

drossall · « **Reply #1174 on:** 17 January, 2010, 10:45:33 pm »

Is there such a thing as circular fettling?

Inspired by the winter tyres thread, I got some Marathon Winters just before Christmas. I knew it was a risk in clearance terms on my commuter, and when I fettled them on they didn't clear the mudguards. Just after Christmas I fettled the guards off, and then got some clip-on ones like these from Halfords.

We have no garage, so fettling snow tyres in the snow wasn't all that attractive, and all this took time. (Yes, I did sneak it into the kitchen when no-one was looking, but...)

In the end, clearance even below the brake wasn't enough, so I've just fettled the bike back to the way it was in the first place.

Plan B behind all this is to rebuild onto my spare commuting frame, but I'll wait for warm weather, light evenings and time to do all that. Then I'll be set up for next time

Except that I have just tried the second-hand pair of forks that Corley's sold me for it a bit back, and the (threaded) column has been cut off too short for even a Shimano headset. Anyone know where I might find a pair with plenty of clearance for a 501 road frame, probably chromed as I won't find much else to match the bronze-brown that I chose from Argos for its respray?

Author Topic: What have you fettled today? (Read 2164229 times)

kevinp

birchtheyouth

Chris N