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Yeah, “ooh, I’ll use my new fancy T bar hex keys to fit this new bottle cage…….oh, too long, where’s that box of shit IKEA Allen keys…..”
Thank you mondraker, the inner hex on the linkage was quite a tight fit. I took an old IKEA Allen key, rosted it with my pocket rocket and bent it to make a low profile Allen key.
Those little Hope pad safety pins. They drive me mental,especially trying to fit on to the front in situ.
I ended up using force and ripping off
That always bugged me. Bolt removed, I want the hinge to open. Bolt inserted, hinge can’t move. There isn’t a third scenario where I need some pointless little failsafe
It’s so that the lever can’t fall off the bar in the event of a bolt failure while in use.
The love for I-Beams is hard to understand - no support on the saddle where you want support, and loads of support on the saddle where you arguably need the most flex. Horrible. Think I still have a saddle somewhere if someone wants it?
Crank extractors. The possibilities for it going horribly, horribly wrong are huge. Take a camera lens filter thread pitch, use it to apply massive force to a delicate alloy component in an area where everything gets caked in mud and then weave into it a number of seemingly random standards.
including needing a special thin-walled socket
Reminds me of the Nukeproof pedal axle removal tool - guaranteed to be out of stock everywhere when you first need one, so you end up in a socket lottery.
Just spent far too long getting pads back in my hope E4 caliper, turns out the spring thing between the pads was a bit iffy, used another one from some spare pads and they went straight in first time, such a little thing caused a lot of expletives.
We've had a family spate of Shimano lever pistons sticking (4 in the last year, all clean oil and only ever Shimano oil). All bar one have worked again after stripping, cleaning and lubing the piston.
But the levers always seem excessively fiddly. Little plastic cups on the push rod / servo wave bit. Tiny fragile plastic paddle for the free stroke adjuster. And two parts of the lever and a stupid spring to concurrently align when trying to get the pin back in. No wonder they don't sell spare parts....
Full mudguards. So many bolts and fittings, and need a few extra too. Things needing measuring, cutting, and drilling to fit them.
RockShox fork cable guide 2020, tiny bolt goes into soft metal at an angle.
Everything you adjust for ergonomic positioning and angles that doesn't have reference marks on.
Fitting new brake fluid in any Sram brakes.
The difficult to adjust brake levers that it's nearly impossible to get a hex key into is one that bugs me - that's something that ham-fisted amateurs should be able to adjust without needing to take it to a mechanic.
However, the one that always makes me wonder what the **** they were thinking is the BrandX dropper post lever. Did they sit around thinking what would be the most complex, fiddly way to make a lever pull on a cable?
+1 on mudguards. Some real fundamental design issues on so many.
Cantilever Brakes can be a faff just to get them in the caliper, especially the pads with about 4 various washers. Once on, they are fine.
I took the motor skid plate off my Orbea Wild. Unbeknown to me there was a backing plate which the screws screwed into. With the bike being upside down the backing plate fell into the motor somewhere. Can not get it out for love nor money, but it annoys the hell of me when I hear the metal on metal rattle whilst I ride.
You want fiddly? Try reshimming Shimano freehubs.
Fitting new brake fluid in any Sram brakes
Eh?
Changing hub bearings.
or more specifically, accessing hub bearings in order to change them. The actual removing the bearings and pressing in new ones is a joy with the right tools but before you can get to that point, maybe its just me but removing the axle is always a right PITA. Working out how exactly it comes out and which tiny grub screw needs removing with a size of allen key you don't have....then its do i just bang it with a mallet? Hmmm not coming out - perhaps....ahhhh there is a tiny threaded collar hiding in there that needs to be removed....but what with? Etc etc etc. And don't get me started on putting the 12sp cassette back on by gently piling up the rings like the great pyramid of giza only to find one has gone on the wrong way round and the lock ring is cross threaded as its made of the finest brie.....
Non-Shimano cranks are horrendous.
I tried getting a Race Face Cinch off the other day. Even used a breaker-bar, wouldn't shift.
Hollowtech type cranks are where its at.
As above, cable droppers. Even if you follow a good tutorial, the tolerances are so fine.
It's the one think I'd go wireless on if I had the loot.
Non-Shimano cranks are horrendous.I tried getting a Race Face Cinch off the other day. Even used a breaker-bar, wouldn’t shift.
I've got some Rotor cranks on my gravel bike and they're a pain to remove. There was an issue with the BB years ago involving rebuilding the whole BB and crank area several times and that rapidly lost the novelty of unscrewing the lockring, turning it round and screwing it back in to then use it as the "crank puller" (yes, this is actually the way it's designed!) and then undoing it all again once the cranks are off.
Next time I need new chainrings, the bike is getting a GRX chainset...
Everything you adjust for ergonomic positioning and angles that doesn’t have reference marks on
This x100
I tried getting a Race Face Cinch off the other day. Even used a breaker-bar, wouldn’t shift.
Proper 30mm axle cinch? These come off easily in my experience with the built in self extractor. Take the load off the preload collar and just undo the bolt.
2″ socket for wheel bearing replacement.
Said 2” socket is also handy for removing the lock ring from a mixer shower when replacing the 3-way cartridge. It was a landy wheel bearing tool that I ordered specifically for that job!
2″ socket for wheel bearing replacement.
Said 2” socket is also handy for removing the lock ring from a mixer shower when replacing the 3-way cartridge. It was a Landy wheel bearing tool that I bought specifically for that job!
It’s so that the lever can’t fall off the bar in the event of a bolt failure while in use.
Are you talking about Shimano brake lever clamps where you have to insert something into a hole to release the clamp after removing the bolt? Since when do lever clamp bolts fail!?!?!?!?
Yes they are always annoying. What happens with me when fitting: Insert something in hole to release clamp. Discover bolt is too far away so put down lever, clamp closes. Pick up bolt. Insert something in hole to release clamp. Lift brake lever to bar accidentally brushing clamp against something which closes it. Insert something in hole to release clamp. Drop bolt. Discover bolt is too far away so put down lever, clamp closes. Insert something in hole to release clamp.
Removal usually slightly better.
After removing lever I now screw the bolt into only one half of the clamp so the clamp can't close and lock because bolt in the way.
Non-Shimano cranks are horrendous.
The last non-Shimano cranks I had were SRAM GX. I'd decided to bin them, but then I couldn't get them off as the crank bolt had seized.
A drill sorted the issue and I was none too careful about what other damage I did to them in the process. It was cathartic in a way and they went straight in the bin afterwards.
Stupid non-preload with a stepped axle and the SRAM gap on the driveside - specially designed so that the tophat spacer could shear and wander out along the axle, leaving you feeling like the cranks were about to fall off. Bin.
Since when do lever clamp bolts fail!?!?!?!?
Having seen what the "average" bike owner can do to a simple allen bolt, i'd guess at "pretty often".
I never want to work in a shop again.
What he said.