Assuming Spring Comes, What Do We Need to Change in Bikes and or Equipment

[vvill]

@hozn 47804 wrote:

I dunno. I have only ridden behind one gates drive MTB (SS) , but that was the creakiest drivetrain i have ever heard. It would have driven me to drastic action if that had been my bike. Of course, that is just one anecdote, maybe they generally work great.

Yeah I haven’t ridden any gates drive bikes, but I’d like to try one out. All the salt on the roads through the winter makes me think they’d be a good option, although normal single speed bikes are pretty low maintenance already. I think next winter I’ll be mostly on a SS.

[oldbikechick]

@GuyContinental 47988 wrote:

Eventually the bearings will wear out and if you are super-duper lucky (and using Speedplays) they’ll seize. In mid stroke. I can attest, that’s less than fun. If you are using common MTB pedals (eg Time or SPD) you have to pull the spindle to grease them (honestly, I wouldn’t bother unless you ride a lot in the rain or are hearing squeaking).
LINK to SPD instructions

Eggbeaters have a plastic slotted cover and a grease attachment (the strange “extra” part in the box that looks like a threaded plastic dial). Speedplays have a Phillips #1 screw. On either, the easiest/cheapest grease tool that I’ve found is a medication syringe with the top trimmed to size. Fill with polylube (or your choice) and push the old nasty grease out the spindle.

Not sure how single-sided road pedals are serviced.

Thanks! I think I am safe since I don’t hear any squeaking yet and I’m pretty sure I have the “common” pedals.

[Dickie]

In response to the title of this thread… 29º this morning…. fin!

[Terpfan]

This spring has been a money shellout for me. Did the tuneup a month ago (I hate waiting forever when it warms up just a tad and everyone decides to do it) and they replaced cassett and chain if I recall right. Then the last few days I’ve noticed the slight wobble. I kept thinking I’ll wait until Thursday night and then I won’t have to ride in the rain on Friday, but today I decided the broken spoke was too much so it’s in for repair along with a minor hub adjustment. And I have only gotten to ride in 60+ weather a few days (it was nice when I was sick or on work travel).

[Drewdane]

@fuzzy 47240 wrote:

I’m not happy about these damn cicadas. This will be my first summer for riding & commuting and aside from the challenge of being a beginner I’ll have these things smacking me in the forehead/face as I ride. Cicada guts crunching all over my tires, they’ll be exploding all over my eye protection and handle bars! Acckk I can already feel the little hooks on their legs snagging my lip and making crash and do a bike-copter on the ground

I’ve bike commuted through several hatchings, and never once had the experience you describe.

[Drewdane]

@acc 47183 wrote:

As I write this crouched next to a space heater, I’m trying to imagine warmer weather.

So what do I need to do with my bike? Anything in particular I need to check? Tire and brake pad wear. An overall cleaning and tuneup isn’t a bad idea either.

Do I really need to have it tuned professionally for the season? I do, but that’s because I’m lazy and mechanically inept, not because everyone “should” get a professional servicing done.

Any suggestions for adjusting to warmer weather in terms of clothing. Layers are your friend.

Anyone have eyewear they particularly like right now? Meh. That’s such a personal choice, I’m loath to detail mine (plus I don’t think they’re made anymore). Interchangeable lenses are extremely useful, though.

Is a high-end helmet worth the money? For commuting? No

…

[GuyContinental]

So, I went through my OCD cleaning cycle on Tuesday night and admit that a) it’s definitely been more than a month (probably 3) and it definitely took more than 10 minutes. My drive train is also tapped out at 3500 miles so I thought that I’d post some images of what that means.

On the chain- I use a Park CC-3 which measures stretch in terms of percent- it’s a “go/no-go” gauge in that it will only tell you when the chain is done not it’s progress. In the CC-3 it’s either 0.75% or 1.0%. I try to replace at 0.75 but clearly went beyond that point on this unit. Some folks swear by the Park CC-2 which measures a range of 0.25% to 1.0% (or the new CC-3.2 which is a go/no go at 0.50 and 0.75) and replace at 0.50- this is part of why you’ll hear a big range in chain life- I get as much as 5k miles because I measure to the greater stretch. If I replaced at 0.50 I would only get about 2K. BUT I wouldn’t have killed my cassette… which I did.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]2651[/ATTACH]

On the cassette- the extra stretch in the chain changes the contact point of the rollers on the cassette teeth- over time this will wallow out and “hook” the gear- it’s a bit hard to see because I unhelpfully left the chain on a worn cog for the photo but look at the gear below the chain- some of the teeth are hooked almost to sharp points. You can also see how worn the outside body of the chain links have become.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]2650[/ATTACH]

Why is this important?
1. Play in the chain kills your cassette
2. Hooked cassette teeth kill your chain (the chain stretches to hit the contact point)
3. A stretched chain will also kill your front rings which can be expensive to replace
4. Eventually the play is such that the shifting ramps will mis-align and the chain will skip, shift unintentionally and refuse to index. If you’ve gotten to this point it’s waaay too late- your cassette is likely fried. For context- this Ultegra drivetrain is dead but shifts perfectly and silently. I’ll replace it to save the shwanky FSA big ring up front

So-
A. Buy a CC-3.2 for $10 (LINK) or a CC-2 for a less palatable $24 (LINK) OR just use a tape measure with a baseline of 12″ pin to pin.
B. Measure monthly
C. Replace chain after 0.50 but before 0.75
D. Replace cassette every other (or third if you lube and clean a lot) chain
E. Save lots of money

[Terpfan]

Argh, I had a spoke replaced and hub adjusted. My wobble from back tire improved, but it’s still there. I’m pretty certain now that the wheel is out of true. Wish the folks at repair shop checked that (or I did) before completing the job. Oh well, I’ll tough it out for a while and when I’m going for a few days of work stuff I will have that fixed. Of course I figured the REI tuneup would have found half of this a month ago or so when I did it, but that’s overpriced and not worth it imo.

[brendan]

By hub adjusted, you’re talking about cone adjustments or something similar? If you take the wheel off the bike, can you feel wobble in the axle?

When riding, wobble could be from:

a) an axle not properly clamped in the drop outs
b) lack-of-true wheel and/or loose/broken spokes
c) loose cones with the wheel sliding side to side on the axle
d) too tight cones with the cones pushing hard against the bearings which are rubbing hard against the bearing race leading to a bit of stiction (bumpiness) and severely increased wear
e) something else

B

[Terpfan]

@brendan 48341 wrote:

By hub adjusted, you’re talking about cone adjustments or something similar? If you take the wheel off the bike, can you feel wobble in the axle?

When riding, wobble could be from:

a) an axle not properly clamped in the drop outs
b) lack-of-true wheel and/or loose/broken spokes
c) loose cones with the wheel sliding side to side on the axle
d) too tight cones with the cones pushing hard against the bearings which are rubbing hard against the bearing race leading to a bit of stiction (bumpiness) and severely increased wear
e) something else

B

I’m going to check A, C and D tonight and hope one works. I bet it’s a loose cone thinking about it. It would make the most sense and explain the wobble since I got a spoke replaced (and also why the spoke may have broken). Thanks!

[Author]

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