Viewing 20 posts - 41 through 60 (of 60 total)
  • Should-be-easy bike maintenance that makes you scream
  • aracer
    Free Member

    B-screws, really? You wind it in until the top jockey runs into the sprocket and then wind it out a little so that it doesn’t. Check across the whole cassette, running the chain both ways, and forwards under load from the brake and if it runs into any of the sprockets just wind it out a little more. Oh and also remember to try all chainrings (for those not running 1x) – sounds like a lot of things to try, but you’ll soon work out which sprocket/chainring combination is the critical one. A job I find quite satisfying as it just involves selecting how much to turn a screw and it’s either right or wrong.

    Bez
    Full Member

    Most of these things are just a matter of a little practice: setting up gears, maintaining hub cones and even truing wheels are all generally straightforward once you’ve done them enough or learned a trick or two. Slightly surprised that BB7 pads keep cropping up, though. I’ve always found this takes about 30 seconds with a pair of needle-nose pliers.

    mindmap3
    Free Member

    Installing the conical washers that Specialized like to use instead of a normal DU bush and spacer set up. Their hard enough to do when it’s just a frame, but when there’s cables and other bits in the way I get a bit grumpy!

    Removing / installing / adjusting shocks on the old Spech Demo’s. Pain to do and made worse by those silly washers.

    PJM1974
    Free Member

    Tubeless valves…they always, always leak, no matter what I do. I’ve taken pliers to the stem lockring in desperation, only for the valve bed to shear and for me to pull a valve out of the hole.

    A partial solution is to drill out the valve hole of the rim so that a Schraeder valve will fit as these tend to be more robust. I’m of the opinion that all Presta valves must be consigned to the forgotten parts bin of obsolete standards.

    That said, I couldn’t bring myself to take a Black & Decker to my brand new Stan’s rims…sure as anything, the Presta valves are happily leaking sealant into the inside of the rims.

    mrblobby
    Free Member

    Setting up mechanical gears is just a pretty simple series of steps. Just start at the beginning and work your way through. Though can be maddening with old cables so if it’s not working swap them out.

    Got a job coming up that I suspect might make me scream. Wiring up Di2 on a time trial bike. Threading through all the bar assembly and a frame that wasn’t designed for electronic wiring. Expecting a frustrating few hours work 😕

    Malvern Rider
    Free Member

    I have roller brakes and a Nexus gears so having to be fix a rear puncture makes me shout swear words out loud.

    Also anything to do with skinned knuckles – ie

    Tightening cranks (with too-short multitool)
    Removing cassette for cleaning

    somafunk
    Full Member

    mrblobby : Get yourself a Park IR-1 Internal Cable Routing Kit, makes a tiresome job so much easier

    mrblobby
    Free Member

    somafunk, tempting… but 45 quid for what’ll probably be a one off. I’ll see how I get on.

    honourablegeorge
    Full Member

    Fitting and removing saddles. It’s a million times more difficult than it should be.

    schmiken
    Full Member

    Internal routing and bleeding Avids. Even as a professional mechanic these would frustrate me!

    Northwind
    Full Member

    PJM1974 – Member

    Tubeless valves…they always, always leak, no matter what I do. I’ve taken pliers to the stem lockring in desperation, only for the valve bed to shear and for me to pull a valve out of the hole.

    You could try the superstar/WTB valves if you’ve not already- they have a bigger cone “plug” than others so they’re very forgiving. Mine have always sealed up with just finger tightness (I’ve heard that overtightening is as likely to cause leaks as undertightening? Never tried it) But mostly leaks with stans-type rims at the valve are from taping- there’s loads of different theories about cutting the valve tape but imo just using a scalpel and cutting a circle using the hole as your guide can’t be beat.

    bikebouy
    Free Member

    Rotor Cranks, removal and replacement.

    Fills me with dread every time I go near them.. And they’re on both Roadie and CXer..

    mrblobby
    Free Member

    Rotor Cranks, removal and replacement.

    Haha, they’re part of my new build too! Got to swap them over. Quite often take them off to change chainrings too, and other than the reverse thread thing on the pinch bolt, I don’t think they’re that bad.

    coatesy
    Free Member

    For Mindmap3, the trick to fitting Specialized shocks with the conical washers is to make a dummy shaft just a smidge narrower than the assembly, which then holds them in place until they’re into the slot, then tap it through with the monting bolt. Had the screaming ab-dabs on the first one I worked on, took almost no time on the next one using the shaft.

    medoramas
    Free Member

    What about those little screw-like plastic covers on Shimano shifters? How many times I had to move the washing machine to get that little bas#£rd from below…

    oldfart
    Full Member

    My Process came with cup n cone hubs . I found the best solution , buy a pair of Hope Hoops ! 🙂
    I left that shizz behind when I was 10 can’t be doing with it now !

    mrblobby
    Free Member

    Cup and cone on a road bike however, well worth any additional perceived effort.

    glasgowdan
    Free Member

    Changing chainrings when the bolts just spin rather than tighten up and you don’t have the wee tool.

    Cheap headsets that are either stiff or wobbly and nothing inbetween.

    nairnster – Member
    Simple one, but getting mtb bars perfectly straight since the move to long travel forks. Much harder to achieve, and i never feel like its quite right

    Easy, looking down at the bars, close one eye and line up the back of the bars with the front of the fork crowns. You can see which side has a gap and tap the bars into perfect allignment.

    Hob-Nob
    Free Member

    Chain guides are a PITA. Especially when involving Raceface or SRAM cranks & the utterly crap self extracting bolt design.

    At least SRAM show some thought to the design and put the bolt on the NDS so you don’t have to wrestle it all together only to find the guide is rubbing.

    Shimano any day, to make life easy 🙂

Viewing 20 posts - 41 through 60 (of 60 total)

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