Author Topic: What have you fettled today? (Read 2205745 times)

vorsprung · « **Reply #7950 on:** 25 June, 2013, 09:44:13 pm »

Finally got the Karate Monkey out on the road. And off the road

https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=72510.msg1511499#msg1511499

CrinklyLion · « **Reply #7951 on:** 25 June, 2013, 10:42:59 pm »

EldestCub bust the flex brake on his scooter yesterday. It has had a year of heavy use....

The thought occurred that we Know People. People who have Skills. And who have Tools. But probably very little clue what a scooter flex brake looks like and what its dimensions are. So tonight I have successfully removed the remaining bit of said brake, so that it can join the broken off bit, and go for a little holiday to, hopefully, meet a Maker. Since this also involved removing the rear wheel completely to get at awkward nuts in order to undo the bolts, and I appear to have managed to dismantle and re-mantle the rear axle fixings in what looks like the correct order with zero loss of pingfuckits along the way, I'm counting that as a fettling win!

Kim · « **Reply #7952 on:** 26 June, 2013, 12:49:23 am »

Yeah, same sort of thing as David Martin, only with a lot more current to drive a lot more blinkenlights and without all that clever genome stuff.

Proper soldered and crimped electrics let down by shoddy cardboard-and-masking-tape mechanical construction. 'tis but a prototype...

Gattopardo · « **Reply #7953 on:** 26 June, 2013, 01:00:30 am »

Fancy replacing a chip on a motherboard for me?

Tim Hall · « **Reply #7954 on:** 26 June, 2013, 08:42:31 pm »

Mid fettle of the snow bike.

Let me explain. The snow bike is The Boy's cast off Specialized somthing or other MTB. When it snows, it gets shod with spiky tyres, otherwise it has Specialized Nimbus for easy road riding. Now that summer's here, ~~the time is right for dancing in the street~~ I thought I'd finally get round to doing the tyre swap.

It hadn't been cleaned since I last used it. In the snow. In the winter salty grit.

Oh dear.

The chain is like something from an Indian rope trick - it can stand up on end. It took me 10 minutes jibbling to get it off and unthreaded. The brake linkages are seized. The brake block bolts are furry.

Bless me ~~father~~ Sheldon, for I have sinned.

phantasmagoriana · « **Reply #7955 on:** 26 June, 2013, 10:21:17 pm »

Finally tightened the stem bolt (quill stem, so only one) that holds the handlebars in place on the hybrid. Not quite sure why it took me several weeks to get round to a 5-second job. The bars don't creak any more, which is nice - now I just need to sort out the gear indexing (my least favourite fettling task, because I'm hopeless at it), which has been off since I cleaned the drivetrain the weekend before last (this seems to happen whenever I clean the chain - clearly, it just wants to be grimy).

nikki · « **Reply #7956 on:** 28 June, 2013, 12:12:34 am »

After weeks - nay, months - of preparation, Kim was today finally able to engineer a situation in which she was legitimately able to tell me to "down periscope".

Quote from: CrinklyLion on 25 June, 2013, 10:42:59 pm

So tonight I have successfully removed the remaining bit of said brake, so that it can join the broken off bit, and go for a little holiday to, hopefully, meet a Maker.

Sounds like you need a Rachel. Unfortunately she's at Glastonbury ...but we'll see what we can do!

Kim · « **Reply #7957 on:** 28 June, 2013, 12:19:38 am »

Quote from: nikki on 28 June, 2013, 12:12:34 am

After weeks - nay, months - of preparation, Kim was today finally able to engineer a situation in which she was legitimately able to tell me to "down periscope".

It would have been quicker to just build the whole submarine, like I suggested.

David Martin · « **Reply #7958 on:** 28 June, 2013, 12:22:17 am »

Quote from: Kim on 26 June, 2013, 12:49:23 am

Yeah, same sort of thing as David Martin, only with a lot more current to drive a lot more blinkenlights and without all that clever genome stuff.

Proper soldered and crimped electrics let down by shoddy cardboard-and-masking-tape mechanical construction. 'tis but a prototype...

We must exchange notes - I have plans (if I can find the funding) to try and get a few thousand 1.5W RGB LEDs to run coloured lights in this sort of pattern
http://easternblot.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/photo4-225x300.jpg along the inside of the building.

Kim · « **Reply #7959 on:** 28 June, 2013, 12:38:42 am »

Using these: http://www.adafruit.com/products/306

We've got 7^[1] 2m strips with 32 LEDs per metre, so 448 LEDs. Weatherproof if you seal the ends (and any splices).

Easily driven by the Pi's SPI port. The driver chip regenerates the clock and data signal for the next pair of LEDs in the chain, so thousands wouldn't be a problem, especially as you aren't going to be too fussed about refresh speed.

Main issue is power. Needs 60mA per LED at 5V. You have to inject power for every metre length to avoid brownouts (I'm feeding 2m lengths power from both ends, as they're arranged in a circle), so for a long linear installation you're going to need to do something clever.

I got Conway's Game of Life running on them this morning. Looks really good!

_{[1] 7 pixels is the minimum vertical resolution for easily readable text.}

interzen · « **Reply #7960 on:** 28 June, 2013, 06:07:46 pm »

I've rediscovered, again, why I hate working with brakes.

After reading about how easy it is to shorten the hoses on Shimano hydraulics without having to bleed them I figured I'd do something about the redonkulously long hoses that were on the pre-bled brakes I got for Orange Bike #2.

A word of warning if you planning to do something like this: when the guides say 'don't pull the lever too hard' they mean it - a couple of squeezes on the lever and there was a pop followed by the piston dropping out of the rear caliper along with the contents of hose plus reservoir

Piston went back in OK, but of course the rear brake is worse than useless and will need a refill and bleed anyway. As a result of this I'm not overly confident about the job I did on the front brake so the bike is now booked into the LBS - something I was hoping to avoid on the grounds of cost more than anything else (not that I have anything against my LBS, but I prefer to do spanner-monkey type things myself if I can)

As if things couldn't get worse, I then cut myself whilst removing the chainrings off my newly acquired Deore chainset

interzen · « **Reply #7961 on:** 29 June, 2013, 12:41:26 pm »

After last night's epic brake-related fail (which caused much hilarity at the LBS) I decided that I really wasn't happy with the sharp bend in the TrailMonster's front brake hose so I refitted the Easton EA70 bars - result: no more comically sharp bend in the hose and therefore less chance of something disasterous happening; the Mary bars will probably end up on Pugsley.

I'm going to take it out for a spin tonight, so I fully expect some jibbling of riding position to take place especially as I like my flat bars with a bit of back sweep and the Eastons tended to make my shoulders ache over longer distances.

Also laced up a couple of wheels for the Other Orange Genesis, which was dropped off at the LBS this morning to have the brakes re-bled and generally checked over¹

¹ - after last night's cockup I really don't trust myself to work on hydraulics. Given how much I dislike faffing with brakes generally this may not be a bad thing. Plus, even if I was inclined to do the job myself I'd still have to get odds and sods like mineral oil and a bleed kit from the LBS anyway.

Aidan · « **Reply #7962 on:** 29 June, 2013, 12:45:09 pm »

Not me that fettled it, but just had my Strat set up to within an inch of its life! plays even more like a dream now.

phantasmagoriana · « **Reply #7963 on:** 29 June, 2013, 12:46:08 pm »

I tried to true a wheel, but managed to break a spoke in the process. I knew there was
a reason I normally don't try to fettle wheels.

Not having the faintest clue about what size of spoke to get as a replacement, I think it'll be going to the LBS. I'm just hoping I can get it sorted before Tan Hill.

interzen · « **Reply #7964 on:** 29 June, 2013, 12:48:58 pm »

Quote from: phantasmagoriana on 29 June, 2013, 12:46:08 pm

I tried to true a wheel, but managed to break a spoke in the process. I knew there was
a reason I normally don't try to fettle wheels. Not having the faintest clue about what size of spoke to get as a replacement, I think it'll be going to the LBS. I'm just hoping I can get it sorted before Tan Hill.

If it broke at the elbow, just measure from the end of the spoke to the bend in the elbow - that's your answer. Failing that, if you know the make of the hub and rim, stick the details into http://www.prowheelbuilder.com/spokelengthcalculator/ and get your answer there.

phantasmagoriana · « **Reply #7965 on:** 29 June, 2013, 01:03:16 pm »

It broke right in the middle.

Sadly the rims and hub are too ancient to be listed in that calculator, as well. That probably means I should get shiny new wheels, as I've been meaning to for a while...

interzen · « **Reply #7966 on:** 29 June, 2013, 01:07:53 pm »

Quote from: phantasmagoriana on 29 June, 2013, 01:03:16 pm

It broke right in the middle. Sadly the rims and hub are too ancient to be listed in that calculator, as well. That probably means I should get shiny new wheels, as I've been meaning to for a while...

If its a fixed/free wheel you're after then I have one in the shed which you're more than welcome to if you can pick it up.

phantasmagoriana · « **Reply #7967 on:** 29 June, 2013, 05:43:48 pm »

Thanks, but it's a derailleur one - I'm certainly not riding to Tan Hill on fixed!

LittleWheelsandBig · « **Reply #7968 on:** 30 June, 2013, 10:30:56 am »

Slotted the cable stops on HK's Moulton. Now need to fit some new wires.

LittleWheelsandBig · « **Reply #7969 on:** 30 June, 2013, 09:53:43 pm »

Assembled most of another forumite's new bike. Sometime soon the cassette will turn up. Once the position of the brake levers get sorted, the handlebar tape goes on and then he can take it for a spin.

Greenbank · « **Reply #7970 on:** 01 July, 2013, 11:52:36 am »

Mobile 'phone contract. Now paying £11 a month as my previous 24 year contract (including 'phone cost) has ended.

Average monthly usage:-

39 minutes
70 texts
210MB (has dropped since I got the BT Wifi app as I'm signed up to BT Fon at home)

That's £25 a month extra to the PowerTap track hub pot.

interzen · « **Reply #7971 on:** 01 July, 2013, 12:07:24 pm »

Just put the new grips on the 1x1 .... couple of laps of the quadrangle and all is good.

Or at very least better than it was.

CommuteTooFar · « **Reply #7972 on:** 01 July, 2013, 12:57:40 pm »

Today I oiled the chain on Green Bike before riding it to work.

Yesterday I looked at Orange bike that is currently just a frame and wheels. The headset had no spacers above it so the fork was not secure. I found some spacers in my spares box. Added then moved the stem to the required position and marked it. I remove the headset and took the fork into the shed. I introduced it to my torture devices. I bang the star fangled nut further in. The I clamp it to the vice and cut two cms off the end of the streerer with a hacksaw. I was glad I used a cutting guide my hacksaw was a little blunt. I replaced the fork and headset then spacers. There was a little bit of steerer still sticking out. I find my thinnest spacer but as I am about to try it I see a bit of the headset on the ground. I reassemble with alls parts and there is no gap. I tighten the stem and orange bike is a tiny bit closer to being rebuilt.

Next weekend: saddle, mud guards and maybe bottom bracket and crank.

Greenbank · « **Reply #7973 on:** 01 July, 2013, 01:20:10 pm »

Home 'phone/Broadband contract down by £12 and got BT Sport channels (Premiership footyball, rugby and FA Cup) added to Sky card for free (we don't pay Sky any money, just use it as a freeview box).

Next fettle is Home Insurance. Moving from M&S to AA to save £200+ and not having to worry about change in M&S's terms which mean bikes over £2k aren't covered automatically.

matthew · « **Reply #7974 on:** 01 July, 2013, 04:03:55 pm »

swapped the front wheels back over between the fixie and tourer (they got changed over to fit the 35mm winter tyres to the commuter, Open pro's are a little too narrow). Tightened the headset of the fixed wheel and then took the front that should be in the tourer over the road to a very convenient LBS for truing. He let me put it in the jig to see how far out it was before I left it for him.