The biking thread

[Emptyone]

That would be the thing with disc brakes, they would lock quite easily, and then you do marry your face to the road in an instant.

And yeah, I almost never use my rear brake apart from on steep hills, it's almost useless unless you live in hilly terrain. Competition in terms of brakes though can only be a good thing, but since they haven't officially announced disks it must be a couple of years till they get to ~£1000 bikes.

any advice?

The triple chainset is definitely an advantage if your somewhere hilly, though the compact is lighter and shifts better (in general) as it's not so cramped.

105 over Tiagra everyday too. There is a decent jump between each Shimano level, so if you can afford, get it. Might want to look at a bottom of the range Mercx if you can too, I know someone with one, and they love it.

 

[Sam48]

Thanks for the advice guys, I'll definitely go for the triple with 105 components. Now I got to find the frame that fits me best. However, both Cube and Mercx are hard to come by in the US.

EDIT: Completely unrelated to buying a bike, I was in class today, and I had a brilliant idea (I'm an industrial designer, so we get these quite often you might say). Anyway, the idea was a cycling helmet that had a pull down visor for people like me who hate sunglasses (Among other advantages). Turns out, after a quick google search, there's a brand new Canadian company that just started up a few months ago called "Dux Helm", and they make the exact product I had imagined. Now, I really really want one.

Wearing this would make me feel like a fighter pilot

 

[W3H5]

My new (cheap) parts have arrived! Time to get my man face on and get my hands dirty and give my tools some usage! I'll be posting before and after pics soon.

 

[W3H5]

Emergency bump! Need help!

I stripped the bike down but I'm having trouble with the crank. I can't get it off.

I got both bolts off each side's arm but the thing is stuck fast. Not sure what to do. I checked some other forums which recommended bashing it, bunny hopping a lot and going for a rode without the bolts on but none of those worked.

Here you can see the threaded spindle without the retaining bolt but the arms will not detach.

The red handled tool got the bolts off easily enough but the spindle that they were on won't budge, if it's suppose to, and the arms feel like they're held on with little Supermans.

I'm trying to get this done before the weekend which gives me tomorrow evening after work to get the bitch off. If I can't get it off by being nice I'm going to take a grinder to it (I don't really want to resort to that though).

By the way, it's a standard mountain bike crank, nothing fancy here. I'm wondering what else I can do to get the crank off. I don't even need to take the spindle/ bearings out if possible

Any help would be my appreciated. 👍

 

[Tonza]

oh w8 what i readed wrong about this thread, thought it was "the bikini thread".. well nothing then 👍

 

[W3H5]

oh w8 what i readed wrong about this thread, thought it was "the bikini thread".. well nothing then 👍

Oh, damn, I woke up early to check this thread hoping for advice and this is what I saw.

Also, it's early morning, I'm grumpy, so I'm going to do it:

PROPER GRAMMAR REQUIRED AT ALL TIMES!

 

[MarinaDiamandis]

Shem, the picture isn't clear but it looks like a square taper to me so:

http://ulikecooking.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/square-tapered-crank-removal.html

Before you screw the crank extractor in to remove the crank, be sure to wipe any crud out of the thread on the crank itself, and then grease both the thread on the crank and the thread on the crank extractor. The last thing you want is the crank extractor to seize inside the crank!

 

[W3H5]

Yeah, it's a square taper crank.

I'm going to give it another bit of abuse when I get home tonight and I'll grease it up. I did try a bit of WD40 but maybe I'll use some proper grease.

I had a look at some videos earlier but still nothing seems to be showing the situation I'm having.

Thanks for the response.

 

[MarinaDiamandis]

Unless there's something completely different about that crankset, a puller should work. No way you're getting a crank arm off by hand.

The square taper doesn't need to be removed, all you need to do is screw the crank puller onto the thread of the crank, and it will push against the taper and pull the crank right off.

 

[W3H5]

That's the part I was having problems with.

The puller gets nice and tight on the crank and them won't budge. I tried using a fair amount of force, almost to the point where I thought I might break something.

I've got a feeling it's jammed. The bike was sat pretty much from new over 2 years in the same place without being ridden. There isn't any creaking on the crank itself and the bearing seem good but those bloody arms ore on there pretty tight!

 

[MarinaDiamandis]

Hmm. Well, I doubt anything down there would break, maybe the puller if it's a cheapo bit of kit. You certainly won't damage the taper or the crank threads.

 

[W3H5]

The puller was £1.20.

If I can't crack it I'll have to take it to my bike man and see if he has a better way to get it off. That was my last resort though because I bought the new crank online and if I go there I always feel like I need to buy something. I do need a new chain and some cables thought so I suppose I could get him to have a look at the crank when I buy them from him.

 

[MarinaDiamandis]

Yeah, I guess it could just be down to a puller made on monkey metal then. If you do take it to him, report back with what the problem was.

 

[Neal]

Shem - Have a read of this to make sure you're using the crank extractor tool correctly although it's the same as the info MarinaDiamandis linked http://www.parktool.com/blog/repair-help/crank-installation-and-removal-square-spindle-type

Try heating the crank so it expands then use the crank extractor tool and really put some force into it, if you're confident the adjustable spanner is solid on the extractor try hitting the end of the spanner with a hammer. If this fails then you're likely going to need a new bottom bracket but they're not expensive, get a Shimano UN54 or UN55. As you've already read pedalling hard may loosen the arms but put the crank bolts back loose enough to allow the crank to move but not fall off. If that fails use an angle grinder to cut through the crank arm to the bottom bracket spindle to release the pressure. Good luck 👍

.....................................................................

Also disc brakes on road brakes aren't for more power but for more control, consistency and less compromised rim design

http://www.bicycling.com/bikes-gear/bikes-and-gear-features/big-squeeze-road-disc-brakes

....................................................................

That's a lot of snow Greycap Most of our snow has gone and is just left up on the hils where it has drifted, in fact it's been so dry for so long the ground is finally firming up and there has even some hushed talking about dust trails

Saying that I really haven't been riding much recently due to family stuff and my brother's stag do but I'll getting out on Sunday for a long local ride. March will be equally slim on rides due to my wife doing a half marathon and taking priority for time away from the kids for training and my brother's wedding getting in the way, roll on April!

 

[W3H5]

Well, I had a chat with my colleague who used to be a bike mechanic and I have been using the tool right. Since I soaked the git in WD last night I'm hoping a bit of elbow grease will get it off when I get home tonight.

EDIT: Came off with no trouble once I got home. good ol' WD40 solves all of life's mechanical problems.

So here's the deal now: it's stripped (All but the chain & dérailleurs - I lost my de-riveting tool), ready for a clean, slight sand, primer and paint coat.

Here are some of the shiny new parts I'm about to fit on once the painting is done. Many of the bike's original parts I will reuse; the seat post, bar stem, brake levers, cables and rims.

Next week I'm off down my local bike shop for a new chain (once I find my tool), brake callipers, pedals and other accessories (I can't stop buying bike stuff )

As you can see my entrance is now a two-bike workshop and the misses of not happy.

 

[Greycap]

That's a lot of snow Greycap Most of our snow has gone and is just left up on the hils where it has drifted, in fact it's been so dry for so long the ground is finally firming up and there has even some hushed talking about dust trails

I have to say that I'm anxiously waiting for the snow to disappear too because it'll mean I can pull this out of the winter storage, finally in its 2013 guise! *obligatory bike love picture*

 

[Shaun]

Nearly ran over one of these bad boys yesterday on my gentle ride after work. I was cruising along about 30 kph when I spotted what I thought was a fallen branch on the side of the road.
When I was about ten meters away it started to move into my path .
The bugger was basking in the last of the sun for the day on the road. Glad I missed it though, wouldn't have been real nice to have it wrap itself up in a wheel. Would have been hilarious if it had though to a bystander.


@ Neal.
Finally got around to using Strava on my last few rides.
Like it very much. 👍
Good how it plots the segments that you ride through during a ride even if that's not the only part of a ride that you do.
I understand now what you mean by the competitive bit. On my first ride I ambled though a segment (small climb 400m long) without knowing and when I checked the app showed me in 73rd place. Simply not good enough I thought. Next time out while pushing I took six seconds of my time. Today I managed another second and am up to 31st. Now that I know where the segment starts I'll see how high I can get.
The guy on top is averaging 14 kmh more than me though.

Cheers Shaun.

 

[Neal]

Shem- good to hear you got the crank off, I'm not surprised the missus isn't happy with you after turning the hall into your man cave

Greycap - quality bike love photo, you even got the valves/rims/tyres lined up perfectly :tup: I went out for a local ride yesterday taking in all of the trails I've been avoiding for many many months as they've been horrendous muddy bogfests and my bike cam back dusty rather than muddy \o/

Shaun - Glad you like Strava, sounds like it's hooked you too I did a bit of stravabashing yesterday and got a new KOM plus improved my time on another KOM I already had and moved up to 5th on another segment These are all off road segments and not very popular ones at that, I've got no chance getting in the top 10 on road segments or popular off road segments.

 

[Bram Turismo]

Man, I arrive in Belgium, 12-15C and I left my bike, broken, behind in Norway

Might as well just ditch it and save up for a decent bike while I'm at it. After all my bike is just something relatively cheap and about 4-5 years old by now.

 

[mp10]

A little help needed on finding a link posted on this thread; quite a while back. It was a mountain bike repair website, with a lot of step by step guides on repairs and replacements. I think it had a white and yellow colour scheme and also had the name of a USA state in the link if that helps.

In the meantime how do you adjust the tension in the Brake lever/cabling? the lever seems to be slowly losing its tension overtime, any idea why this is? Only happens with the front brake too.

Thanks 👍

 

[MarinaDiamandis]

In the meantime how do you adjust the tension in the Brake lever/cabling? the lever seems to be slowly losing its tension overtime, any idea why this is? Only happens with the front brake too.

Thanks 👍

I'm not quite sure exactly what you mean.

Are you having to pull the brake lever further to engage the brake?

 

[Neal]

A little help needed on finding a link posted on this thread; quite a while back. It was a mountain bike repair website, with a lot of step by step guides on repairs and replacements. I think it had a white and yellow colour scheme and also had the name of a USA state in the link if that helps.

In the meantime how do you adjust the tension in the Brake lever/cabling? the lever seems to be slowly losing its tension overtime, any idea why this is? Only happens with the front brake too.

Thanks 👍

This should be the first place you look for bike repair http://www.parktool.com/blog/repair-help

With the brake it may be that the cable inner and outer needs replacing...or just the pads are wearing down.

 

[W3H5]

IMAG0540 by SideshowShem, on Flickr

Finished my build at a grand total cost of less than 40 quid. I need to get down the bile shop tomorrow and get a new chain before I take to the streets on it.

 

[Monatsende]

Why do I always read "The bikini thread"? Sold again!
As you were!

 

[mp10]

I'm not quite sure exactly what you mean.

Are you having to pull the brake lever further to engage the brake?

Yes that's what i mean. 👍

This should be the first place you look for bike repair http://www.parktool.com/blog/repair-help

With the brake it may be that the cable inner and outer needs replacing...or just the pads are wearing down.

Thanks for the link:tup: will take it down to local bike repair store and have them check it out.

 

[W3H5]

IMAG0545 by SideshowShem, on Flickr

I bumped into chap in town today riding this. I often chat with him at the bike shop. He'd just bought it and wasn't too happy when I told him it was too slow for the money he'd spent on it.

He has offered me a race up and down a local mountain. What I forgot to mention was that i won't e riding that the mountain bike I just fixed up but my race bike. That way I won't just beat him, I'll embarrass him.

 

[Shaun]

Don't know about you guys but that bike does absolutely nothing for me.
Sort of cries out 'look at me'.
Oh and Shem keep us updated when you hand out the guy a lesson.

Cheers Shaun.

 

[W3H5]

Yeah, I think it's more of a fashion statement than a serious tool. They guy is an OK chap but he's a bit 'hipster' if you know what I mean.

 

[Emptyone]

Wrong kind of fashion statement too, thats not how I'd want my bike to look, much too ostentatious! Better leave him for dust to prove the point indeed.

 

[W3H5]

I don't think he'll even reach the top of the mountain on that thing. Still, the local girls seem to like his 'style'.