Education We Like to Ride Bicycles

Ouch! This ones had 8-10 years of being left outside etc, so its not too happy with me right now. I really think I'm just going to swap it for a new one.

Only issue after that is headset and sorting out my cables. I'm thinking I'll need to change the gear cables for new outers and keep the brake cable outers.

I just got a new seatpost and a cable guide, so I can't wait to get home now! I just want to go riding.

 

They are relatively inexpensive tbh, and if it's been outside most of its life, it would probably be for the best to just get a new one. A lovely smooth bb is a must on a bike imo, anything else just gets irritating.

On that note. My Charge Spoon saddle has developed an annoying creak. The seat is bolted on tightly, but I think there is movement where the rails are connected to the plastic base of the seat. Anyone know if there's anything I can do to stop it other than replacing it with a new one? It's driving me nuts! My bike is almost silent otherwise with the singlespeed and slick tires, so it spoils that. Makes it sound like some old crappy, poorly maintained bike as well .

 

Grease ALL the things.

Just had to do the same on my Tricross as it was creaking something fierce. What I did: remove saddle from post, clean everything with Brake And Parts Cleaner (alcohol should work as well), cover all things that touch other things with an aerosolized heavy grease (though just about any grease should work), and put it all back together nice and snug like.

This is a yearly ritual for that bike.

 

You make a good point. I say it deserves its own meme!

 

A good nights work.

I now have the chainset on and spinning. Next set is the dreaded headset.

I have struggled to find a LBS that has time on their hands to swap it over and I'm impatient so I'm thinking I'm going to make my own remover from a piece of leftover pipe and then use the wooden block trick to get it back in.

 

Could anyone link me to a good guide for adjusting gears? My bike is only a year and a half old but the gears aren't changing as smoothly as they should, and it sounds like something is rubbing as sometimes I change gears, I hear clicking / rubbing but no switching. Is this something that I would be able to fix without any experience or expertise or should I just bring it to a real bike repair shop?

 

Could do a lot worse then http://sheldonbrown.com/ or http://www.parktool.com/blog/repair-help

 

It's rather simple, but can be challenging to describe. I'd suggest starting Here.

If that is too complicated let me know and I can do a slightly more condensed guide.

Edit: butts, beaten to it!

 

This came to mind when malv said butt...

 

So I took my bike to another LBS and they said they'd charge £20 for swapping my headset over. Which is about standard.

Then once he was done he said that seeing as he just swapped the cups (not a full swap with forks etc) it was only £5. He even let me watch and show me what he was doing so I learn a bit, plus gave me some important tips on how to reassemble the headset once I got home. .

So thanks to panagua bikes in Hayes. It's what used to be Bigfoot bikes which was also quite a big club around the area.

 

I've got a local place which has always been cheap for little bits like that. I had a frame powder coated and the store faced the headtube and fitted the cups, and faced the BB shell and charged me £10 so was pretty happy with that. Shame they are a race/road bike specialist otherwise they would get a lot more business from me. Thankfully these days one of the labs I ride with is a store tech so he can sort most issues out cheaply for me

Managed to get myself a 2012 Reverb with the all important black collar last night Won't come until Tuesday / Wednesday next week but I'm off work Thursday so I'll be able to get out and give it a test. All mates have got one in the last 12 months and say you don't realise the difference it makes to you ride until you have one.

 

Finally got it working. More to be done but exciting times first build.

So time for some celebration cheesecake.

 

Anyone else doing the Wiggle Cheshire Cat tomorrow?

 

Afan, Glyncorrwg and Llandegla this week! Leaving Brighton at about 4am on Friday, returning on Monday. I really can't wait! Going for my 27th Birthday and I'm hoping it's going to be awesome, weather looks like it will hopefully be great.

 

That sounds amazing. Make sure you take loads of pics for us.

 

76 miles done today! Have a super weekend Margon, those centers really are incredible.

 

Riding tight single track in a vest - fine, just don't ride into the trees.

 

That's going to sting in the shower!

 

Nice! I have vowed that all upgrades to the HT are on hold until I buy a full sus other wise I will never get there. A dropper is high on the list as it's a PITA dropping and raising the saddle all the time especially on new routes where you don't know whats coming.

Talking of which I made a return trip up the "big 'old hill" this weekend for some more exploring and there is some great riding up there. We hit a steep and very rocky section where water has really washed out the old forestry track into a series of gullies and ditches with everything from cats heads to full on boulders to negotiate. I went down first, reached the bottom with a huge grin on my face and turned round to talk to the other half to find nothing but empty trail behind me. I waited, and waited a bit more before thinking "This isn't good". she then came hobbling down the track with a very dented and bruised knee after coming off. Time to order some knee pads for her!

 

I want a dropper bad, but both my HT and my full sus have weird size seat tubes. 27.2 on my hardtail and 30 on my full sus - which means I'm basically limited to posts made by gravity dropper, from what I can tell, and I don't like the look of those at all. I do know someone that has had their 30mm cove seat tube bored out to 30.9 but I don't really know anywhere that can do that (read: haven't really looked into it - I love my cove way to much maybe to have such a thing done to it).