[Closed] Do you ever manage to go for a ride without something going wrong?

What a tale of woe!?

Yeah stuff starts to wear out and I replace them before they fail.

) Leaking fork wiper seals (while in Tenerife last week)

[i]Shop[/i]

2) Bottom bracket coming completley undone during a ride

[i]You didn't do it up properly?[/i]

3) Failed wheel bearings front and rear - each on subsequent rides

[i]You didn't notice this during "maintenance" checks?[/i]

4) Gears that just won't ****ing index properly

[i]Dirty cables or bent hanger. Fairly normal maintenance [/i]

5) Colapsed new headset bearings

[i]You fitted it wrong?[/i]

6) Colapsed freewheel bearings

[i]You didn't notice this during "maintenance" checks?[/i]

7) Worn bottom bracket bearings

[i]You didn't notice this during "maintenance" checks?[/i]

8 ) Scorring on fork stanchion during ride

[i]Shift happens[/i]

9) Colapsed egg beater bearings

[i]You didn't notice this during "maintenance" checks?[/i]

9a) Lose egg beater wings

[i]You didn't notice this during "maintenance" checks?[/i]

10) Cracked headtube weld

[i]Shift happens[/i]

11) Brakes that won't bleed properly

[i]Shop[/i]

12) Seized front mech

[i]Throw it away and go 1x9[/i]

Sorry, I don't sound very sympathetic do I!? 🙂

Geesh, you do sound a bit ham fisted.

I've just replaced a knackered BB, but it didn't stop me riding, just felt really gritty. I normally have brakes that rub a bit on one bike, but I'm learning to live with it, as they normally clean themselves up a bit once you get going. My singlespeed chain tension is often a bit dodgy, but hopefully that will improve now that I've gone back to two chaintugs and replaced the rear skewer.

Last night the chain on my singlespeed came off (newish chain and I know it is stretching, but it's just too long to take a link out still), and was a bugger to get back on. Just loose enough to come off, but too tight to get back on without moving the chaintugs to allow the wheel to go forward. 👿

I then had some odd sounds from my Candy pedal an hour later. Stopped to try to tighten up the bolt on it, but in the end it gave up 10 minutes further on, and I had to ride home on the spindle, in the rain. 🙁

As a result, I can totally sympathise with you this morning.

Have you considered a rigid singlespeed for rubbish weather? That would knock off half of the items on your list there.

How do you tell a bearing is going to fail before it fails?

... are you psychic? 😯

🙂

Not really mate - I tend to the drive train and take care of the lefty, and that's it. Live in a smallish flat with my family so no room to be fettling the bike with preventative maintenance. Generally have no issues, bikes work great.

Only problems I've had recently is sticking pistons on two different calipers, which is ****in annoying.

Have you offended the bearing Gods? Some of those failures you list sound extraordinary.

LOL thats why I bought a singlespeed, hyro discs and as many high quality seals as poss!

I don't do maintenance!

No can't say I do but I keep an eye on things. Not hard to tell when bearings are on there way out.

I am probably tempting fate here but my Merlin has been bloody awesome in terms of reliability.

Only problems I have had are:

They fitted a 160mm rear brake adapter to the front causing it rub - no messing could get rid of the rub - fixed with 180mm front mount.
Revelation fork lost travel while laid up over winter - fixed by Fishers under warranty as design fault.
Stem came loose on a ride - my fault after reinstalling fork.
Rear wheel needed a slight true after 2 1/2 years.

Nothing has ever prevented me from finishing a ride or held me up more than re-fitting the stem.

no_eyed_deer - Member
How do you tell a bearing is going to fail before it fails?

I've only had to replace wheel bearings once, but was definitely able to feel lateral movement at the rim. Replaced bearings before a complete fail

Bits and pieces go wrong, that's the nature of the sport, but it's rare that I have much go wrong and almost unheard of for me or my mates to have a ride ending problem.

Obviously, the brown stuff will hit the whirly thing next time I go out now that I've said it 😯

IME Obsessive maintainence does not automaitically lead to good component performance, in fact often the reverse is true, i.e. if it ain't bust don't fix it. You can **** your bearings up by pressure washing/using a hose/GT85 or similar, basically either forcing shit into the bearing, or washing grease out. Generally, all you need to do is to keep the thing clean where there are wearing surfaces, mainly the drive train area, and regularly lube it where the manufacturer tells you to.

If it carries on may I recommend a move to single speed rigid?

Thing is... my road bike is fine, just needs a wipe down after every other ride. The only thing that's ever gone wrong with that mid-ride was a snapped pedal spindle.

Perhaps the complexity of, and conditions that my mountain bikes get ridden in, has something to do with it?

I think you guys may have a point though. Perhaps I should try a bit of 'preventative mantainence' now and again, rather than responding when things go wrong. I have a tendency to want to try to 'wear stuff out', rather than get it to 80% gone - and then change it.

I do have an idea when wheel bearings etc. are going bad, I really do! But I have also found that sometimes they get better, of their own accord, just by riding. It's true! Though sometimes they get worse.. 😕

But it is a real faff replacing stuff, just cause you think it might possibly need replacing. I haven't got enough time for that - I'm too busy replacing all the stuff that's already broke... 😯

Hmmmm...

TSY remarked on a recent ride that the fettlers are always having to fix their bikes and I am inclined to agree. I have barely had to touch my hardtail in years, the odd new chain or brake pad, very little cleaning, bit of lube once in a while, all good.

Rigid singlespeed here. Gets plenty use.

Chip the mud off it every 6 months whether it needs it or not.

Replace chain and brake pads before the 'Puffer.

That's about it.

I once had my seat post clamp brake, but I've only been doing this 25 years so it's early days.

But I have also found that sometimes they get better, of their own accord, just by riding. It's true

I know the feeling and it's very very demoralising 😕
I've had persistent chainsuck issues with my Bfe.

In the end, I've reverted to riding my 'lesser' bike - the Genesis, which has been performing admirably in the crap weather and mud.

The Bfe will wait until dusty trails return, and if problems persist, it's going: life's too short 🙂

I suspect a lot of people on here have a higher standard than other cyclists. You see people tootling around town with a rusty noisy chain, brakes rubbing or barely touching the rims, and they have no problem with it.

One man's "broken beyond repair" is another man's "working perfectly".

"How do you tell a bearing is going to fail before it fails?"

They feel wrong. Noisy, or slightly binding, or lateral movement.

To be fair, I've had stuff wear out or break and need attention mid-ride, esp brake pads, bent/snapped hangers, chain snaps, broken spokes, flaky shifting. It's quite normal.

BTW: Gears that just won't ****ing index properly 90% Certainly due to lack of appropriate maintainence. Either cables are buggered or your chain is stretched.

From the sounds of your list of failures your maintenance regime can't be that obsessive…

Most of the things on your list should be caught before they become an issue on the trail with some regular inspection and fixes before the parts fail, not everything is always obvious and the odd problem is bound to pop up but you seem to have a lot of mechanical problems if you are being as rigorous as you reckon…

I’ve certainly never had any Bearings “Collapse” as you put it, spotting a bearing wearing doesn’t require ESP; simply being able to feel gritty or tight spots in it’s rotation or a bit of play is an indicator that something isn’t right and it needs more investigation.

Cleaning the bike isn’t the same as maintaining it, what precisely is involved in your "almost obsessive maintenance” routine?

I was going to add a note of sympathy here, but it seems unneccessary after the tide of commiserations and empathy from you chaps eh? 🙄

I was going to add a note of sympathy here, but it seems unneccessary after the tide of commiserations and empathy from you chaps eh?

Cleaning the bike isn’t the same as maintaining it, what precisely is involved in your "almost obsessive maintenance” routine?

Cleaning, mainly.. 😆

after the tide of commiserations and empathy from you chaps eh?

It's pretty much all I expect from this dark twisted corner of the interweb. I mostly tend to regret pressing that 'Send Post' button, yet I never learn.

All a bit like that 'preventative mantainence' thing really.

I'll do most things myself, but i realise a proper bike mech will do a better job than me on things like wheel truing etc..

You see, the ironic thing to your comment is, I actually do build bloody good, strong, true wheels. After 17 years practice, I should do.
🙂

80% of those failiures sound like the result of jet washing?

Since going singlespeed I've had exactly 0 maintenance issues, infact I actualy felt quite pissed off that my rear tyre appears to be wearing out and I might actualy have to take it off and replace it in the nect few rides!

I did a classic yesterday - I had a puncture - and then refitted the punctured innertube in the tyre - DOH! 🙂

Apart from normal trailside stuff : - a bit of pressure loss from a tubless wheel until it seals, stick in spokes, worn out pads, etc... I can't really remember the last time [i]something that could have been preventable[/i] interrupted my ride.

There. Thats torn it.

Next ride My wheels will collapse and my suspension bushes will go. 😯 🙄

There are quite a few things in the OPs list that [i]'Won't go properly'[/i] what this really means is [i]'I can't/won't do it properly'[/i] and therein lies the root of most peoples mechanicals IMO.

😉

No_eyed_deer [url= http://www.phased.co.uk/index.php/blatherings/40-writing-the-book-week-seven.html ]I feel your pain[/url]

that is quite a catalogue of failures! Personally, the more I ride, the less complication I want in my bike, so these days I'm on a singlespeed hardtail, square taper BB (far more longevity than external BBs in my experience), although I haven't taken the final step & gone rigid on the front. Also helps that I'm a lot fitter than I used to be, and I find that the fitter you get, the less the bike & components matter. Disc brakes still annoy me though...I seem to get stuck calipers far too frequently, though I suspect that's down to frequent muddy rides & not enough cleaning the bike afterwards!

I do v. little maintenance to my bike and very little mechanical problems when riding. Over the past 3 years I've had 2 snapped chains and 2 crank falling off incidents (octalinks). But then I suspect I'm less fussy than most, front gears not shifting? solution = don't use front gears 🙂 (I did change them when I found the time)

Actually I forgot, crap wheels with alu nipples meant I was breaking spokes fairly regularly until I got them replaced, and I managed to shear a headset bolt with a tiny multi tool, again an alu problem.

Aside: how was Tenerife? We were there last week, just walking and snorkelling this time but we always see plenty of bikers and wonder how good the riding is, any pics?

I'm with the OP. I don't know how good he is as a mechanic but I'm pretty capable and stuff like this happens all the time to me. I'm a crap rider for sure but it's not crap mechanicalling. The stuff just isn't up for being ridden beyond a certain pain threshold.

Almost all of my rides are problem-free from the bike...saying that I do spend some time fiddling with it during the week so I know it's all sorted for any rides I go on...not really through choice but single parenting whilst the wife is working means I can't leave the house once daughter is in bed so I tend to spend time in the garage...

I have 3 bikes, do very littl emaintenance on any of them beyond cleaning them after almost every ride and almost never have anything fail. Lost a chain about 9 months ago was the last prob.

Surely the OP can't be that unlucky

how on earth do you seize a front mech?
what part of a leaking fork seal is a ride ruining disaster?
brakes do bleed properly - operator error.

bearings - sounds like you are washing your bike to death. clean the chain with a chain cleaner in accordance with the manufacturers instructions, then wipe the dirt off the rest of the bike with a cloth, and that's you done.

If you ride a lot this time of year you're bound to wear things out. I hose my bike down after every ride so I can bring it into the house and therefore have to suffer the consequences. Bearings don't last as long and I do a fair bit of maintenance but thats the way it is. Sometimes you do hit a point when everything goes at once so I do have some sympathy for the op.

when i read the op, i immediately thought'jetwash'
jetwashes are fine, as long as you dont spray water at the bearings.
i use baby wipes for the areas surrounding the bearings, they shift just about anything and they dont remove the grease from the bearings.
when i get a new bike, the first thing i do is strip the headset/hubs/pedals down and insert some grease, they are almost always virtually dry.
i rarely have any mechanical problems out on a ride.
(except punctures, obviously)

trailertrash - Member
how on earth do you seize a front mech?

After plenty of wet weather, my Deore fr mech was almost completely rock solid seized a few weeks ago. A good clean and liberal hourly applications of lube freed it up.

Then exactly the same happened to one of the other riders I ride with - another Deore fr mech.

Blimey,I done 4000 miles last year on the road bike and the only maintenance was oiling the chain and the occasional puncture.

Ooops... something changed while my back was turned 😉

Okayee... leaking wiper seals can kinda ruin a trip away, because you can see tiny bits of - freshly changed fork oil - leaking out of the fork and wonder a) why and b) how much longer you can ride for without borking up the forks. I suspect I must've 'nipped' both seals a tad (somehow?) when re-installing the legs. Not sure how, but there's y'go..?

No jetwash here. Hate the things. Just detergent, a watering can and furniture polish.

SpeckeledB..

If you ride a lot this time of year you're bound to wear things out

Spot on matey, I do a lot of miles in very filthy conditions - as a result of only working part time and also being unemployed for most of the last year. I also think I'm probably a fairly strong rider, so I guess that could have something to do with me regularly mashing stuff to peices.

That said, I think I do need to become a little more 'preventative' in my maintainence regime and check things carefully before riding, rather than just 'hoping for the best' and suffering as things fall apart one-by-one.

Tenerife was ace - thanks! Brilliant place to ride on a sping break. I nearly died up the mountain though though, but that's another story.. 😉