What have you fettled today?

[Cudzoziemiec]

Today I have fettled my tax return. It would have been quicker without the continual repetition of "Internal server error." Now it seems I have to fettle £2.60 to pay HMRC.

[citoyen]

Did my tax return over the weekend too. Had to cough up rather a lot more than £2.60 though.

[Paul]

I picked up my birthday wheels on Friday (the rear hub on the Mercian was dying and I had a SH 9s campag hub from PB OTP which I was allowed to have built into a new wheel for my BD).

This gave rise to a new problem: the old rims were coloured, and the new rear wheel (which, let's remember, was essential) was to have a plain alloy rim, which would have meant mismatched rims.

Plus I had no idea how old the rims were (they'd come second hand with the bike) but and there was corrosion at the eyelets.

Now, I happened to have a nos campag front hub, so it just made sense to have a new front wheel too.

The wheels are a deal heavier than those they replace, but I'm putting 32s on them, and it's not a lightweight bike anyway, so that's fine.

But the new wheels meant I had to clean the chain and mechs, replace the stuck-on chain stay guard with a new clean one, fettle the brakes to accommodate the slightly wider rims. Then, because I was in the mood for it, I fettled up 2 spare front wheels with new tubes and reused tyres (I suspect they had been taken off bikes when punctured and put to one side for a day when I had more time. Which turned out to be Saturday).

The hardest bit was removing the sticky stuff from the chain stay guard. I tried white spirits (no go), nail varnish remover (ditto) and washing up liquid (hopeless). In the end it was the trangia fuel that worked.

But when removing the sellotape* elsewhere on the frame the trangia fuel was no good and it was the white spirits that shifted the gum.

A very satisfying days fettling.

(*don't judge me - I needed a quick frame saver and it worked very well.)
 

[perpetual dan]

Brake discs on new wheels, new wheels on bike. Off again to add tyres. Back on. Bike will go, but the brakes are rubbing a bit. I fear I need to take them off again and push the disc pads in. The horizontal slot with the widget spacer things on the back wheel are a massive PITA to get on and off and I really don't have the energy to do that again tonight.

[LittleWheelsandBig]

Laced up a ceramic-rimmed dynowheel to be shared between HK's trike and MTB commuter. To be trued up tomorrow evening.

[LittleWheelsandBig]

Laced up a ceramic-rimmed dynowheel to be shared between HK's trike and MTB commuter. To be trued up tomorrow evening.

Finished it off last night. Now for HK's shoulder to repair enough to actually use it.

Laced up a Sachs Quarz rear hub to a ceramic Exal SP19 rim for my GT LTS-1. Spin carbon trispokes aren't actually that sensible offroad. I'll have to find or build up a front wheel at some point but I probably won't be riding offroad much until my shoulder is sorted out.

[Ian H]

I've just built up a SON front wheel.  This is the latest bulbous-but-small kind, which means I have one of each variety now.

Next up: replacing some rims.

[mrcharly-YHT]

Hosed mud off bike, discovered broken mudguard. Damn. I knew something had gone sponk in the train bike rack but I thought it was just the rivets attaching the stays to the guard.

Scrubbed gunk off chain and derailleur with bbq lighter fluid. I'd prefer diesel, but didn't have any to hand.

mudguard duk taped and cable tied together. It'll last a bit.

Much touching up of rusty bits with nail varnish. The paint is really thin on these Genesis bikes.

[Dave_C]

New brake pads on my MTB. New seat post and set up and tuned for the Kielder Chiller next weekend.

Sent from my A0001 using Tapatalk

[Wobbly John]

New bearing on the big trailer - there should be balls between those bits - and they should be a sealed race, not separate bits. 



Bugger  - why aren't Pootobucket photos working?

[Feanor]

New brake pads on my MTB. New seat post and set up and tuned for the Kielder Chiller next weekend.

Ah, yes. I've been thinking about that.
Hope it goes well!

[Snakehips]

I got off after a mile and used a handy roadside beer can (suitably flattened) to lever my rear mech back into operation. Does that count as fettling?

[LittleWheelsandBig]

Put the spare tyre from HK's trike on the new dynowheel. Also found that the three spare tubes carried on the trike comprised a Moulton tube, a punctured tube (from the box) and a repaired tube that is now on the dynowheel. Time to order three new tubes and another 559 Conti Grand Prix, along with an Igaro and a Cyo Premium.

[vorsprung]

I was ill last week so only used my 3rd best bike to go to the station on Monday.  I thought the chain was a funny colour, maybe a little rust under the mud.  But it was working fine

When I looked at it yesterday I was shocked/amazed to see that the chain was brown with rust and wouldn't even rotate.  I guess as it was propped up in the garage dirty the chain took the opportunity to turn into rust as it dried off

I fitted a new chain and cleaned off the chainrings/cassette

Also put new disk brake pads in the rear of the other commute bike.

Have the rare situation of 7 bikes in full working order

[mcshroom]

I'm getting there with the Raleigh.

I tidied up the front dropouts so they hold a modern wheel, took the decals and stickers off, and rubbed the paint and chrome down over the last couple evenings, and today I had my first go at spray painting to coat the repaired dropout after hanging the frame from my washing line. It's not perfect, but I'm happy enough.



Next is to service the headset, when I have a spanner big enough to fit round the lock nut. Hopefully I'll have all the bits together for a rebuild in the next week or so

[Samuel D]

Have the rare situation of 7 bikes in full working order

Seven?! Quite seriously, what’s the appeal of having that many? I’m not begrudging you them, of course. But doesn’t any pleasure of ownership or use get diluted after about three? Do you still recognise all seven?

[LittleWheelsandBig]

No reduction in pleasure in my case, though I've not ridden the ones stored in Oz for a few years now. I think HK and I have a couple of dozen bikes, trikes and tandems between us. Most of them are either ready to ride or are about a day's worth of fettling away from riding.

[Kim]

Have the rare situation of 7 bikes in full working order

Seven?! Quite seriously, what’s the appeal of having that many? I’m not begrudging you them, of course. But doesn’t any pleasure of ownership or use get diluted after about three? Do you still recognise all seven?

The canonical response to this question is:  "How many pairs of shoes do you own?  Why so many?"

IME the main reduction in pleasure is storage related.

[drossall]

I've got 10

I think. I've tried to stop counting. Oh, and a trike and a tandem (actually, only half the tandem is mine).

My main fear is that distance ridden is in inverse proportion to machines owned. When I was young and poor, I did many miles on few bikes. Now, well, work it out for yourself.

[zigzag]

just counted my bikes - nine. two are in bits, but others are being used. might sell one or two though.

today's fettle - took the pedals apart and repacked them with grease.

[Kim]

I currently own five bikes.  Which seems like a reasonable number.  Interestingly, that's also the number of shoes I own that have cleats (I also have a couple of pairs which don't).

[fuzzy]

I currently own five bikes.  Which seems like a reasonable number.  Interestingly, that's also the number of shoes I own that have cleats (I also have a couple of pairs which don't).

Lost a shoe Kim?

 

[Kim]

Heh.  5 pairs.

[Vince]

I hacked a hole into the bottom of the gully that runs along the garage door to install a bilge pump. Just need to get some 19mm id hose to spray water across the front lawn in times of deluge.

[LittleWheelsandBig]

Replaced a chain and cassette that was worn a very long way and tweaked front and rear cables. The bike really needs new cables before it will change properly but it is already a hell of a lot better than it was.