Education We Like to Ride Bicycles

If it has suspension, clean the suspension rods thoroughly and apply a couple of drops to them. Then bounce the suspension around until the rods are coated in a FINE film of oil. You don't want them be messy as that will just attract dust, but having a very thin film of oil will protect against rust.

They you want to drop a couple of drops on your gear changer, a couple of drops on the moving parts of each brake (NOT the pads), I like to remove the seatpost, put a drop of oil on it and smear it out. Again, that helps against rust so if you ever have to move the seatpost is isn't hopelessly stuck.

I can't remember all of the places that I oil my bike but as long as you remember to use a TINY amount of oil you should just put oil on basically all moving parts. Though remember that stuff like WD40 is the spawn of the devil. It dissolves the old oil-dirt combination and allows it to enter the bearings of anything that moves. You should use a type of lubricant that is just that, lubricant. When oiling the chain, just put on a few drops and rotate the pedals so the oil is distributed. Then use a clean cloth to wipe all excess oil from the chain. It ensures that dirt will not build up as rapidly as if you just spray on a shitload of sticky lubricant.

Oh, and Malvolio or one of the other bike-nuts will probably have a more in depth explanation and more places to oil. This was just what I could think of at the moment.

 

I usually just lube the chain....

 

Do not oil the seat post if your bike has a carbon frame btw

Get a can of gt85, cheap and easy to apply.

 

Your bike looks great picarro

What mudgaurd is that? Any good? I'm looking for one for my commuter bike and that looks like a pretty good option.

Also do you find it awkward to brake with the handlebars set up like that? I've never tried that set-up before

 

It's a Zefal Swan R, and it mounts the same way as the adjustable mountainbike mudguards, but it's slimmer so it fits a citybike/racer better. It functions quite well and has saved me from a wet butt multiple times! The only thing is, you want to give the mounting screw between the mudguard and the saddle post a small amount of glue or something like that because it unwounds. I lost mine at some point and now I just use a regular bolt and a couple of washers to hold it in place.

I need something like it for the front tire as well, but I haven't been able to find something that I like.

As for the handlebars, they are mounted in the Time-Trial position, and I have simply removed the arm-bars because they are not needed in the city. As for the brakes I feel I can give them more of a tug because my arms aren't crooked when I reach for the brakes.

 

New jersey from my Local Roadie shop, now have this and the slightly garish Rabobank one

 

As posted in Latest Purchases Thread: v2.0

 

My riding buddy is the Northern rep for Forme, where are you located?

 

Evening!

I'm trying to clear out space at my parents garage for the arrival of my sisters first car, which means getting rid of my very underused trials/mtb bike. I built it, and have a full parts list, but was wondering if anyone had any suggestions on the best place to try and sell it / price check it?

Cheers!

RwD

 

The 'We like to ride bicycles' thread.. We don't bite.

Much.

 

I may have had a slight thought of that after I posted. It's been a long day. Parts list below, and I'm aware it's a bit of a mashup;

Headset: Cane Creek ZSC-1 Black 1.1/8th
Cassette: Shimano HG61 9sp
Shifter: Shimano XT 9sp
Chain: Shimano HG53
Seatpost: FSA SL-280 XC
Stem: Easton EA50
Headset: Tioga ARR-1
Saddle: Tioga PG Comp
Brake Levers: Avid Single Digit Black
Pedals: Gusset Slim Jim White
Handlebars: DMR CroMo Steel
Rear Mech: Onza Trials
Tyres: Maxxis Minion 26" 2.34"
Grips: Outland Enduro Lock on
Forks: Onza Lite Guy
Crank: Truvative Hussefelt Dirt Jump
Hubs: Shimano Deore M530 (front not fitted)
Rims: Mavic Energy M7CD
Brakes: (I need to have a look at those)
Frame: Generic Blue trials - I believe it's a resprayed saracen.


Bike by rinsewand, on Flickr

Any idea on pricing would be lovely.

 

I just realised that Im a complete idiot and misread what page I was on, and assumed you had posted the above in Latest Purchases or something.

Failboat.

 

I can see your Failboat sinking...

I'd assumed a rather appropriate and large amount of sarcasm in your first post

 

Not really been on here much as I've been busy riding MTB and road, and really enjoying it too. Until yesterday I went over the bars on my MTB and badly dislocated my shoulder, they stuck it back in at the hospital but on my appointment today I found out something else has been dislodged from in front of my shoulder to behind it. The doctor didn't sound too positive and arranged CT for Tuesday and will likely need an operation. I'm really annoyed with myself as I've never had any serious bike injuries in 15 years of MTB'ing or on the road despite all the stupid things I did when I was a teenager and plenty of crashes but landing right to not do anything serious. I'm just worried if there will be any long term issues and feeling crap about the thought of not being able to ride for X months . I hadn't realized how much I think about bikes and riding, it's like when your internet is down and you instinctively go to use it. I just keep thinking about riding as that's my fix for when I feel crap.

Anyone else dealt with the same injury who is hooked on bikes?

 

nottingham

If anyone is up for a roadie session let me know if your in the nottingham area.

 

Picked it up today and did a quick 20km, much nicer material than my old one, cool colours and happy to support a local shop. If anyone is interested in Italian racing bikes, look them up.

 

Picked up a new set of bars for my Felt Compulsion today, Answer Pro Taper 720 AM in anno red. Will fit them this evening.

 

Oh guru's of the bicycle, I am in need of your assistance.

My bike is a Commencal Combi Disc from '08, bought 2nd hand in 2010 in decent condition. I've not really used it enough, decided to pop it out and check up on its condition today. It still rides very well, but the teeth on the chainrings and cassette are fairly well shot, there's even a couple missing!

So... Not really knowing a lot about bikes, in terms of hardware changing at least, I have a couple of questions...

Can I mix SRAM and Shimano cassettes and chainrings? (I know they're the same company now, aren't they?) Is it best to try and pick a set from the same series? Can anyone recommend a cassette and chainring combo for <£50-60? 3x9 speed and from CRC preferred if possible.

I'm assuming it's best to change the chain at the same time? Again, any recommendations? Is it worth doing wheel bearings while the cassette is off? Are they replaceable or should I just add a dollop of grease?

I've seen a couple of vids online about removing the cranks and chainrings, the tool they use just seems to be a fancy bit of threaded bar that they charge a fair whack of money for. Can I just use a gear puller instead? Got plenty of those around...


I've also got a bit of a brake problem, the bike has Avid Juicy 3's which are a little neglected - the reservoirs are leaking now. Once I've got the leak sorted (reservoirs ordered and once I've used the ludicrous bleed kit), I've noticed the rear wheel drags a bit, even when properly bled and used etc, what is the likely culprit?

 

@krikkit: Shimano and SRAM are not the same company at all. If a merger happened it would quite literally cause a monopoly in the industry for drivetrain parts, so it's very unlikely to happen ever.

Anyway, in answer to if you can mix components: yes! Chains, cassettes and chain rings are all mixable in any configuration you want, provided you keep to the same number of rated "speeds" (9 speed chain will work with a 9 speed cassette, for example). For best compatibility, feel and longevity try to keep to the same groupo (company and model; ensure everything is Deore or X7, for example), but for all intents and purposes mixing isn't a bad thing.

A crank puller is a very special tool with a very special purpose and I would very much recommend one if you're pulling a crank off, as damaging them is rather easy with improper tools and they're rather expensive to replace. Steering wheel pullers and gear pullers tend to fail and break in half when used for this purpose, by the way, so do try to avoid using expensive tools for things they're not designed for

Your rear bearings are something that you may or may not be able to replace yourself, dependant upon the hub. If you have cartridge bearings I would recommend getting a shop with the speciality tools to replace them, as damaging your hub is very easy otherwise (plus you'll need to get the bearings from them anyway). If they're loose-ball instead then you can service them yourself with a bit of time and effort. Will need to know what type you have before I can write up a walk-through for you though But I would first check to see how they feel and if anything is loose to see if it even really needs attention.

The drag you're experiencing could be from a misaligned calliper, over-extended brake pads or from the bearings. Check to see which it is first (remove brake pads, push the piston back into the bore with the closed end of a 10mm box wrench - being VERY CAREFUL not to press on the post in the centre of the piston - and reinstall the brake pads) then adjust what needs it in order to remove drag (calliper positioning, bearings).

If you need more specifics let me know and I'll be happy to delve into more detail than is required.

 

had an amusing ride today, did about 12K which isnt massive but i have to stop twice from feeling queasy

Spoiler

as in spewing my guts up

got home bear in mind this was at about 8AM didnt feel better by 11 so went up the drop in clinic, turns out i have food poisoning was meant to be out tonight riding with some mates up our local woods, defiantly a no go now.