What have you fettled today?

[clarion]

I went to swap my brake blocks and found that my rear brakes had reached the end of their life

So I swapped on some older ones

From the tandem.

Guess we're committed to having Vs on the refurbed SuperGal tandem now.  PB will be pleased

OK, they worked well.

Squealed like a pig in the butcher's yard, but that's Koolstop for you.  Certainly stop better than the Clarks blocks which were all I could pick up on a previous visit to a supposedly-good bike shop in Sutton.

The rear canti bosses seem to be a shade too long, giving a tiny bit of play when the bolts are tightened.  So I've added a second, slightly larger washer, which seems to keep everything nice & solid.

btw ftr, just in case PB is reading, I ought to point out that the bit of my old brakes that failed was the cable grip, which, in this case, was designed & constructed exactly as for V brakes.

[TimO]

More mental than physical fettling, but I worked out what the slight rattle on the back of Sid (the Singlespeed) is.  Ever since I started using him again on Saturday (so for about 50 miles now), there has been a very slight rattle.  It seems worse when I pedal hard, but is definitely still there when I freewheel.

After thinking it was the cable to the rear light (nope), I eventually twigged that it was the mudguard stays.  When I put the Kaffenback together, I dropped one of the small bolts that locks the stays to the mudguard proper.  I couldn't find it (obviously suffering from something akin to Fridge Suck), and "borrowed" one off of Sid until I found it.  The nut doesn't seem to be one I've got in my spare bits pot, and I've yet to find the one I dropped.

I suspect putting a cable tie around the stay tonight will be enough to temporarily stop the rattle until I make a determined effort (again!) to find the missing nut.

[Moloko]

New PC-1 chain on the fixed. Which also meant I could also unravel the bramble stem that had very tightly wound itself up between the sprocket and hub.

[TimO]

LOL, when I replaced the freewheel on Sid, I found the remains of an old dried leaf tightly wound between the freewheel and hub.  It wasn't really jammed, just in a place that wasn't easily cleaned.

[jogler]

The ffront light on the tourer.
'twas a broken wire on the dynamo on/auto/off switch which couldn't be see in the gloom of late yesterday afternoon when it was needed.
It's good-to-go now.

[rogerzilla]

Removed the Hope disc brake and fitted the old Deore V-brakes.  They're actually more powerful and more positive, because the braking force doesn't have to be transmitted the entire length of the fork.  Rim wear is minimal on a  front wheel anyway.

I'll miss the instant bite in the rain, but not the constant rubbing.

[RogerT]

Started the build of "project bike"  .  Titanium frame obtained from Flea bay, Carbon fork and Campagnolo heaset from "high on Bikes".  A large G Clamp made a satisfactory fitting tool for the headset and the extension tube from a "Henry hoover" an excellent slide hammer to fit the lower bearing race to the fork 

The aim is to bring the whole project in for under £1,000. using mostly new components and all Campanolo based..( I just like loud clicky freewheels  )

Project now on hold awaiting arrival of more components  ( or, to be more accurate, spare cash )

[rogerzilla]

A very complex job.

I put a Thomson sticker on the seatstay where my heel sometimes catches it.

[Zoidburg]

New PC-1 chain on the fixed. Which also meant I could also unravel the bramble stem that had very tightly wound itself up between the sprocket and hub.

How many miles have you had out of this?

My PC-1 has been on for 18 hilly months of use and I am starting to eye it with suspiscion...

[Wowbagger]

I am currently fettling some marmalade. Two preserving pans' worth.

[CrinklyLion]

Apparently, my mother-in-common-law's mysterious issue with not being able to shoot people in World of Warcraft.  She rang up to find  out 'what number her graphics card was'.  When I eventually got her to describe the actual problem that was occuring, rather than how to implement what she had decided was the solution (thanks so much windoze troubleshooter....) it was somewhat immediately apparent that it was a wireless connectivity issue, promptly cured by very careful explanation of what to switch off and on and in what order, and at what point to make a cup of tea.  Ah, the joys of first line telephone support.  Especially when the luser is a mad danish bird.  And related to you so you know that having fixed one thing, they'll be back....

[Speshact]

Double glazed the little window over the front door with bubble wrap and double sided sticky tape.

[Moloko]

New PC-1 chain on the fixed. Which also meant I could also unravel the bramble stem that had very tightly wound itself up between the sprocket and hub.

How many miles have you had out of this?

My PC-1 has been on for 18 hilly months of use and I am starting to eye it with suspiscion...

Absolutely no idea, but I do know that it had been fitted almost two years. (It's served me well)
It was the cheaper PC-1 and although I constantly cleaned and lubed it, it suffered from constant oxidation.
 So I've paid the extra £3 on top for the 'nickel treated' one. Time will tell.

[jogler]

I have fettled Gordy's trike.
Fitted an adjustable stem so that I can alter it to find the optimum bar height/reach.I then had to fettle both front brakes
Fitted a saddle. I found a Brooks Professional Select in the spares box in the garage.This saddle was on the Longstaff when I bought it & swapped it out for a B17.
Took the pedals off & fitted some Christophe toeclips & straps so that I can pedal in any type of footwear.
There's more to do......
bartape
luggage
lights

It's currently set up as a single speed,approx 72".
I shall leave it at that & see how I cope with it on the local hills.

[Zoidburg]

No time for fettlin

There's a wrappin to do.

[CrinklyLion]

I went to the LBS to buy a bell for the littlest cub's new (old) balance bike, and got them to put some air in the tyres whilst I was there.  Then I came home and had a quick look at the latest small_friend's bike to arrive, washed the shed dust off it, put the chain back on and warned his mum that I hadn't tested the dynamo lights at all and that at least one of the front brakes needed adjusting - they'd taken the eldest out with them to the cinema and got back before we'd had a chance to even look at any more than that.  Oh, and I got the 2 year old to take the dust caps off and help me to christen by birthday present track pump to put some air in  the tyres and then he put the dust caps back on.

Then we did the teeny pink orbea - tyres inflating to correct pressure (with the by now expert assistance of the 2 year old and ably assisted by his big bro) and dearly_beloved went and googled how to adjust brakes and learnt at the fountain of all knowledge that is youtube.  They all seem to work now, anyway.

Just got the Giant to have a look at - chain etc is pretty mucky, so I'll possibly clean that up a bit and oil it, need put a bit more air in and whilst I was out doing my Christmas shopping dearly_beloved looked at the brakes and they now all function.

Then I'm pushing 2 small bikes a mile and a half in the snow!

[rogerzilla]

Changed the chain and cassette on Torslanda's old Rock Lobster (utterly shagged by a couple of thousand miles off-road, under my father-in-law, in Bedfordshire).  Then was asked to look at the rear wheel and ended up detensioning the whole thing and starting again.  I think the rim is a bit bent but as it's standing up to the wear very well (I suspect he's a front brake-only rider) it seemed worth keeping it going.

[rdaviesb]

After 5 and a half months, my Centaur levers are back from the repair shop! Got the old ones off, and got as far as hooking up the RH cables before the shed got too cold. I might, finally, finish the build of the Enigma (with some leather bar tape) this weekend. It also needs a damned good clean.

[Aidan]

Put mudguards on the Saracen, ready as a 26" tourer now ( well apart from the dynamo wheel and lights which I havent bought yet)

Now I have a vacancy for a mountain bike again

[Zoidburg]

Just the usual pre-ride of oil on the chain and making sure the light mounts are all squared away and secure, new light now resides on a moulded and dremmeled lump of two part epoxy putty, secured with shock cord and a cord lock.

[Polar Bear]

I went to swap my brake blocks and found that my rear brakes had reached the end of their life

So I swapped on some older ones

From the tandem.

Guess we're committed to having Vs on the refurbed SuperGal tandem now.  PB will be pleased

OK, they worked well.

Squealed like a pig in the butcher's yard, but that's Koolstop for you.  Certainly stop better than the Clarks blocks which were all I could pick up on a previous visit to a supposedly-good bike shop in Sutton.

The rear canti bosses seem to be a shade too long, giving a tiny bit of play when the bolts are tightened.  So I've added a second, slightly larger washer, which seems to keep everything nice & solid.

btw ftr, just in case PB is reading, I ought to point out that the bit of my old brakes that failed was the cable grip, which, in this case, was designed & constructed exactly as for V brakes.

Just stumbled across this.   I am indeed pleased Mr. C.  You're finally coming into the 1990's and the era of brakes that really work.   We'll have you with disk brakes by 2030 at this rate   

[CrinklyLion]

I took the ding-bell off my new bike and fitted it to the littly's new-to-him balance bike as the diameter of the mount for the bell that he got for Christmas was way too big.

And then we taught him to ride it    He had a go yesterday, but announced that it was 'too wobbly'.  Today it was 'exciting', apparently.

[MSeries]

Just f*cked around fitting Marathons to my OpenPros for the ride tomorrow which now I am not going on. 700x28 took ages to seat properly, gave up on one of them and fitted a Pasella which was nearly as tricky. Will get some more 25mm tyres with tread for next year. Anyone want some part used Pasellas and Marathons in 28mm. Free

[rdaviesb]

Hooked up the rest of the cables on the Enigma, and wrapped black leather handlebar tape. Build finally finished, 7 months after I started it! Yay! If it ever gets bright enough outside, I'll take some piccies.

[rogerzilla]

Fitted the new M540 pedals (yay! slightly higher Q-factor and more heel clearance) to the Inbred, then some new reflector thingies which actually look OK with these pedals.

Then gave the Inbred a "gentleman's wash", i.e. just cleaned the chain, chainring and sprocket.

Then fitted a rather natty (although not very loud and tricky to operate) BBB Headspace bell.  Might be useful for warning errant pedestrians.