In an emergency I whip the seals off both sides of the bearing and flush with out thoroughly with disk brake cleaner. Leave said bearing to dry out and pop some fresh grease in there.

Drop into Halfords and ask them to look up “spares by bike spec” for your make and model of bike. It will list the bearings on the system.

I’ve just took the plunge brought one for a trip to Afan tomorrow. Looking at it and it has a powerbank function which will come in handy for audax and touring duties.

There’s an easy way of replacing a rim and that is to tape the new rim to the old one and transfer the spokes over one by one then tension and true as you would a normal wheel build. As for replacing a hub there’s no other option other than taking every spoke out and putting them into the new one.

Aldi are doing their Merino base layers next Sunday. The rest of their kit tends to be bobbins but the base layers are quality.

No breakfast before hitting the turbo trainer.

Black coffee.

Ashens on youtube.

“So if a bike comes into your shop and you estimate that the drive chain won’t work flawlessly for 12 months you’d reccomend changing it ?”

If the chain is worn we recommend it’s changed with the warning that other bits may need to be changed if things start skipping like a school girl in the playground. If the bike is going up the local towpath a handful of times a year then leaving a worn chain on probably won’t make too much difference. If it’s a commuter that is used daily then keeping things working slick is a no brainer.

It differs customer to customer.

Back to the OP buying a second hand bike I would be working in the assumption that most parts would be half way through their working life unless it stated there was new parts fitted or it was advised that something was shagged.

“at what point would you recommend changing working parts ?”

There’s two ways of going about it.

If you work on the assumption that the bike is used regularly and serviced every year then would leaving a worn chain on “because it works” last another twelve months without issue.?

The second approach is to ride it until it shifts like a dog and or breaks.

The whole point of maintenance is so your pride and joy doesn’t let you down half way through a ride, or at the very least eliminate the chances as much as possible.

My approach to chain, cassette and chainring wear in my workshop is to start with the chain. If the new chain skips on the cassette then it’s new cassette time and likewise for chainrings. I never automatically change everything unless it’s clearly been ridden to destruction.

Other bike shops may not take this approach and to save any hassle or comeback will just change the lot regardless, that way there is no way anything will skip.

Not being a vodafone customer in the first place has been a big problem. For the first few day they wouldn’t talk to us as we weren’t on the account. Kind of a catch 22 as we never wanted a vodafone account in the first place.

Very nice.!

Is gravel not mud in this country for six months of the year.?

Just watching this with my morning coffee. It would be nice to have that much disposable income to drink like that.

Crank it up until you hear the carbon crack and then back it off a quarter of a turn. Job done.

I’ve had both and had no issues with neither. Praxis wins for me though as it’s less determinant and the bearings are bomb proof.

Whip the digital calipers out and measure them or take them along to your local reputable bike shop and discuss your options.

No spare tyre.? Really!

40mm under the stem as long as there is enough steerer for the stem to clamp. Anything more than 40mm and you’ve got the wrong size bike.

Not got a 100 but took the plunge on a 54 plate 1.2 with a full Fiat service history and a genuine 70000 miles on the clock for not a lot of money. Coming from a mid sized estate I wasn’t sure how I was going to get on with it. I had driven the new one as a hire car but never the mk2. Apart from tip runs I don’t miss the estate at all. I live in North Devon where the lanes are tight and it’s the perfect tool for the job. I love it. I now find myself looking for a good 100hp as the 60 horses mine has got is somewhat lacking at times but it does only weigh 850kg and will sit at 70 on the motorway.

I quite like my rims wearing out because it means I get to lace a new pair or spooge some proper cash on some quality hoops and who doesn’t like buying wheels.?

Disks changed the mountain bike world. Going from a bike with V’s or canti’s to a bike with disks was night and day. The difference was incredible and changed what we rode and how we rode it. Disks on a road bike is not a night and day difference, you can still only ride same old roads regardless of what stoppers you have.

Fulcrum sports use a screw on freehub body much like Shimano do only they are very poorly sealed. The bearings in the hub only have a seal on the one side and are prone to water and dirt getting in there. I see a lot of fulcrum sport come through our workshop for the above reasons. They are a false economy. The 7’s have the same bearings but at least the freehub is serviceable.

With 450 ish stores unfortunately you can’t expect each and every one of those staff to be clued up on every product, I have worked in four stores over the years. One store I worked at was so knowledgeable when it came to car audio it was scary. They were a step above all of the local auto electrical places. Their bike knowledge on the other hand left a lot to be desired. I have also worked at a store where the bike mechanics has been second to none in the local area. Its differs store to store and staff member to staff member.

It’s passing through north Devon on Monday and the stage is brutal. Should be fun to watch a bit of suffering.

M2’s are brilliant for the money. There are better brakes out there but not for M2 money. Bleed wise… A shimano bleed bucket will screen into the lever end and an old Shimano bleed screw can be used to screw into the bleed port on the calliper. Attach a syringe and they bleed like a Shimano.

Fulcrums entry level stuff always has “economically sourced” bearings. Knock them out and press some quality bearings in and jobs a good’un. The freehubs aren’t the greatest either.

Spoons and scoops on my MTB’s and knife’s on my road bikes. Like the spoon but a little less material for ones junk to chafe on.

Can you get four adults in it.?

Royalmail every time for me. Fingers crossed I’ve not had any issues and I’ve posted more than my my fair share of frames and bikes in the past.

Folks have roof boxes these days. I remember as kid the suitcases that were tied to the roof of my old man’s mini 1000 auto decorating three lanes of the M6. Good times.

After driving around Naples recently I think the UK is more than civilised when it comes to driving.

Take it to a local bike shop if you have one.

Set fire to it.

You pulled it off… Lucky boy.

Wet and dry, start with 240 grit and work your way up to 1200.

Then use polishing wheels/ mops and soaps if you have them. This will bring them up to a mirror finish.

Finnish with auto sol or mothers metal polish.

How about French bottom bracket chasing and facing tools..! Not cheap either.

You say stung… In what way.? I’m off to Italy in June and looking at car hire and toying with separate insurance.

Raspberry pi here. Fantastic little machine if you don’t mind a bit of tinkering.

Only a week.?

Do you work for SRAM/ Campagnolo/ FSA by any chance.?