Author Topic: Reader's bodges  (Read 140238 times)

rogerzilla

  • When n+1 gets out of hand
Re: Reader's bodges
« Reply #25 on: 30 April, 2008, 06:19:24 pm »
A 700c tube will work on a 26" tyre.  Just fold over the excess.  On lightweight tyres you may get some unevenness in ride, and I wouldn't go overboard on the pressure, but it will get you home.

A touring tip:  if you run out of water on a hot day, try around the back of a church.  There is often an outside tap for the graveyard flowers.  Check that it's mains pressure first, though.
Hard work sometimes pays off in the end, but laziness ALWAYS pays off NOW.

agagisgroovy

  • Formely yellow-ceitidh
Re: Reader's bodges
« Reply #26 on: 01 June, 2008, 07:01:39 pm »
5 miles (8k) into a 100k audax today my saddle came away from the seatpost. I stopped OK but the nail screw bolt had snapped (I shouldn't have had that second bowl of Frosties at breakfast  ::-)). The only vaguley shaped bolt was holding my cantilever brake cable. There was a bolt in the tools for a 'traditional' seatpost but mine is a weird racing one with two bolts, so he used the unbroken one where the most strain was, and screwed a nut onto the end of the broken bolt. Once screwed together it worked for the rest of the ride, I just had to be careful.  :)

Re: Reader's bodges
« Reply #27 on: 17 June, 2008, 02:37:46 pm »
Handlebars cluttered? Unused pair of Cinelli Spinacis (or similar) in the shed? Cut off a straight section and mount it in one of the brackets to make an excellent, rigid place to mount your GPS - which can go out of the way, centrally above your stem.
Profit or planet?

eck

  • Gonna ride my bike until I get home...
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Re: Reader's bodges
« Reply #28 on: 17 June, 2008, 04:02:23 pm »
Handlebars cluttered? Unused pair of Cinelli Spinacis (or similar) in the shed? Cut off a straight section and mount it in one of the brackets to make an excellent, rigid place to mount your GPS - which can go out of the way, centrally above your stem.
Like this?

Ok, I used both brackets and a section of straight handlebar, and I ain't got a GPS, but it works for lights etc too.  :thumbsup:
It's a bit weird, but actually quite wonderful.

Re: Reader's bodges
« Reply #29 on: 17 June, 2008, 05:49:11 pm »
Like this?

Mine (single-sided) puts the GPS above the middle of the stem because I ride a recumbent, and mounted anywhere else it fights with my knees!

But yours is very nice too. And let's face it, Spinacis aren't much use for anything else, are they?  :)
Profit or planet?

fruitcake

  • some kind of fruitcake
Re: Reader's bodges
« Reply #30 on: 17 June, 2008, 07:11:45 pm »
If you use a mudguard and a pannier rack and the guard rubs the tyre, lash the mudguard to the rack. 

If the mudguard stays are proving problematic, perhaps because there is only one eye on the rear dropout, and the guard touches the rack at some point, drill the guard where it touches, cable tie it to the rack and forget about the stays. 

Re: Reader's bodges
« Reply #31 on: 17 June, 2008, 09:14:52 pm »
If you use a mudguard and a pannier rack and the guard rubs the tyre, lash the mudguard to the rack. 

If the mudguard stays are proving problematic, perhaps because there is only one eye on the rear dropout, and the guard touches the rack at some point, drill the guard where it touches, cable tie it to the rack and forget about the stays. 

A bit like this, then?



 :thumbsup:

Also, lashing the stays (rather than screwing) allows them to pull clear in the case of a jam...

And BBQ skewers make good stays...  8)

If you have a rack with a solid upper surface, why use a mudguard below it? Just extend out the back:

Life is too important to be taken seriously.

chris

  • (aka chris)
Re: Reader's bodges
« Reply #32 on: 17 June, 2008, 09:56:49 pm »
The gear cable on the Triplet broke the other day. The cable is nearly 4 metres long. Instead of buying a new one I put a new standard length front cable in the shifter, and joined it to the remaining part of the original cable with a couple of electrical connectors.

Mr Larrington

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Re: Reader's bodges
« Reply #33 on: 18 June, 2008, 11:18:58 am »
The gear cable on the Triplet broke the other day. The cable is nearly 4 metres long. Instead of buying a new one I put a new standard length front cable in the shifter, and joined it to the remaining part of the original cable with a couple of electrical connectors.

An AA man did something similar to the clutch cable of my Capri once.

"That'll last you a couple of months" he said.

It broke six days later, descending the northen side of the Galibier :(
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Re: Reader's bodges
« Reply #34 on: 18 June, 2008, 01:05:07 pm »
The gear cable on the Triplet broke the other day. The cable is nearly 4 metres long. Instead of buying a new one I put a new standard length front cable in the shifter, and joined it to the remaining part of the original cable with a couple of electrical connectors.

An AA man did something similar to the clutch cable of my Capri once.

"That'll last you a couple of months" he said.

It broke six days later, descending the northen side of the Galibier :(

I did something similar to repair the throttle cable on an old VW beetle.....used one of the wires from the rear speakers and attached with the electrical connections.  Worked fine, but then a clutch has a much bigger spring than a carb.

chris

  • (aka chris)
Re: Reader's bodges
« Reply #35 on: 18 June, 2008, 02:52:23 pm »
The gear cable on the Triplet broke the other day. The cable is nearly 4 metres long. Instead of buying a new one I put a new standard length front cable in the shifter, and joined it to the remaining part of the original cable with a couple of electrical connectors.

An AA man did something similar to the clutch cable of my Capri once.

"That'll last you a couple of months" he said.

It broke six days later, descending the northen side of the Galibier :(

I did something similar to repair the throttle cable on an old VW beetle.....used one of the wires from the rear speakers and attached with the electrical connections.  Worked fine, but then a clutch has a much bigger spring than a carb.

It is also possible to use a short piece of gear/brake cable and an electrical connector as an emergency spoke repair kit (you don't need to take the cassette off either).

redshift

  • High Priestess of wires
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Re: Reader's bodges
« Reply #36 on: 28 August, 2008, 09:58:24 am »
Bent your rear mech. hanger?

The rear axle thread is the same size as the derailleur fixing bolt. Remove the derailleur, screw the end of your axle in it's place, and use the wheel as a lever to bent the hanger straight.  :thumbsup:

Also useful:  If you have a crossed thread on the hanger (it happens!), find an old axle and use a file to cut a V in the end of the threads to turn it into a simple tap.  If you run it in from the inside of the frame, it will clean up the thread nicely. 
L
:)
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Re: Reader's bodges
« Reply #37 on: 02 October, 2008, 09:26:13 pm »
Please do not do this!!!:- see replies from Mal Volio & JJ

Aluminum frames have large diameter tubes, and invariably the cable stops are integral to the frame.
Unfortunately, the adjuster bolts in my example of such a frame seized up. Attempts to loosen the bolts failed, so I did this:



To mount the band-on (originally part of a set of dt shifters):
1. Bend the band such that it matches the profile of the down tube
2. Mark where the bolt holes of the band are on the tube
3. Drill two 2mm holes. Note that aluminum is soft, and aluminum tubes are thin, so it won't take many turns of a hand drill.
4. 'Tap' the holes using a 2.5mm steel bolt.
5. Use such bolts to attach band to frame.

Neither pretty nor clever, but surely better than getting rid of the frame? My engineer friends weren't that impressed, though.

Chris N

Re: Reader's bodges
« Reply #38 on: 03 October, 2008, 08:30:39 am »
My engineer friends weren't that impressed, though.

That's definitely a bodge, not an engineered solution.  Well done!

Re: Reader's bodges
« Reply #39 on: 09 October, 2008, 09:15:22 pm »
Shamelessly thieved from somewhere else (though I can't remember where).  Fitting a rear light onto a rack: cut the bottom off an old seatpost, hacksaw a suitably sized groove in it, file the groove to shape and voila:



If it isn't level, you have two options.  Option A is continue filing until it's perfectly level and pack the space a bit.  Option B is lash it into place any old how with electrical tape.  :thumbsup: for option B.

rogerzilla

  • When n+1 gets out of hand
Re: Reader's bodges
« Reply #40 on: 09 October, 2008, 09:37:28 pm »
Clamping something intended for thinner MTB bars onto road bars (e.g. shifters and bells)

ONLY TRY THIS WITH THIN STEEL CLAMPS!

Get a longer clamping bolt than the one supplied, a Nyloc nut and a washer.  Make a kink in the bolt by putting it in a vice and hitting it with a hammer.  Bend the clamp to fit the wider bars and you'll find the holes no longer line up, hence the need for a bent bolt.  Tighten the nut while holding the bolt still, not the other way round.
Hard work sometimes pays off in the end, but laziness ALWAYS pays off NOW.

LEE

Re: Reader's bodges
« Reply #41 on: 10 October, 2008, 03:41:38 pm »
Shamelessly thieved from somewhere else (though I can't remember where).  Fitting a rear light onto a rack: cut the bottom off an old seatpost, hacksaw a suitably sized groove in it, file the groove to shape and voila:



If it isn't level, you have two options.  Option A is continue filing until it's perfectly level and pack the space a bit.  Option B is lash it into place any old how with electrical tape.  :thumbsup: for option B.
Simpler and neater..

I just wrapped some old innertube around the rack until it was the same thickness as a handlebar, wrapped some insulation tape around it to prevent unwrapping and then the pressure exerted by the lamp bracket clamps the whole thing in place.  It's been fine for 2.5 years and 8000 miles.



You can also twist it up and down if, for example, the Audax rider behind you is getting blinded and it will stay put without slipping.

Regulator

  • That's Councillor Regulator to you...
Re: Reader's bodges
« Reply #42 on: 10 October, 2008, 04:01:06 pm »
Shamelessly thieved from somewhere else (though I can't remember where).  Fitting a rear light onto a rack: cut the bottom off an old seatpost, hacksaw a suitably sized groove in it, file the groove to shape and voila:



If it isn't level, you have two options.  Option A is continue filing until it's perfectly level and pack the space a bit.  Option B is lash it into place any old how with electrical tape.  :thumbsup: for option B.
Simpler and neater..

I just wrapped some old innertube around the rack until it was the same thickness as a handlebar, wrapped some insulation tape around it to prevent unwrapping and then the pressure exerted by the lamp bracket clamps the whole thing in place.  It's been fine for 2.5 years and 8000 miles.



You can also twist it up and down if, for example, the Audax rider behind you is getting blinded and it will stay put without slipping.

I've done the same.  Neat and flexible... :thumbsup:
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I completely agree with Reg.

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Re: Reader's bodges
« Reply #43 on: 10 October, 2008, 04:03:22 pm »
Nice one, Lee  :thumbsup:

Sadly, when I did the same, it kept slipping.  So I tried a different approach. 

border-rider

Re: Reader's bodges
« Reply #44 on: 10 October, 2008, 04:05:45 pm »

3. Drill two 2mm holes. Note that aluminum is soft, and aluminum tubes are thin, so it won't take many turns of a hand drill...

Neither pretty nor clever, but surely better than getting rid of the frame? My engineer friends weren't that impressed, though.

 :o

Blimey

I wouldn't ever drill into an Al frame.

JJ

Re: Reader's bodges
« Reply #45 on: 10 October, 2008, 06:25:30 pm »
No kidding Stress concentration - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

If it were mine, I'd check it for cracks pretty often.

At the very least I'd avoid the North Atlantic and wear a parachute.


toekneep

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Re: Reader's bodges
« Reply #46 on: 10 October, 2008, 07:21:12 pm »
I discovered quite by chance yesterday that the blanking plate from the back of a PC expansion slot makes a perfect carrier for a Halfrauds Bikehut rear light. The hole in the blanking plate even matches the locating lug on the light. It was a simple matter to cut the elbow off the plate and drill a mounting hole in it to fix to the rear rack of my hack bike.

chris

  • (aka chris)
Re: Reader's bodges
« Reply #47 on: 10 October, 2008, 07:22:37 pm »
I discovered quite by chance yesterday that the blanking plate from the back of a PC expansion slot makes a perfect carrier for a Halfrauds Bikehut rear light. The hole in the blanking plate even matches the locating lug on the light. It was a simple matter to cut the elbow off the plate and drill a mounting hole in it to fix to the rear rack of my hack bike.

Wrap it up in insulation tape and it wont go rusty.

Re: Reader's bodges
« Reply #48 on: 10 October, 2008, 08:07:11 pm »
...
:o

Blimey

I wouldn't ever drill into an Al frame.

No kidding Stress concentration - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

If it were mine, I'd check it for cracks pretty often.

Thanks for the advice!

I looked out for cracks when I did this. It looks fine 6 months later, but obviously I can't see what is happening inside the tube. In any case, the frame is retired now.

wear a parachute.

Who doesn't?

chris667

Re: Reader's bodges
« Reply #49 on: 16 January, 2009, 01:24:34 pm »
Extreme sport mtb dude?
Tie a bit of innertube across the stanchions of your fork above the wheel.
Keeps a bit of the mud off. :thumbsup: