Hmmmm Ive got quite a large head so I guess I’m doing the right thing by trying one on first.

So it’s looking like a reasonable purchase. Comfortable, but a little hot.

Ha Ha Ha ha excellent. Yes, it’s never just a straight swap.

Thisisnotaspoon, what car are you fitting it into?

Nice one Jamie, thanks for that. I’d never considered an adapter. Hmmmmmm it seems my search is not over 🙂

Yes, thanks Rich, that’s the one. Looks like a good deal. Gonna go get one today and see if I can fit it myself…. Hopefully I won’t run in to too much hassle.

Neighbour used to own one of these. Gave me a lift in it one day 😯

You gonna buy one Sam69? Are ya? Are ya?

Here is mine. I absolutely frikkin love it

A quick update. I removed the chain last night and it was actually stuck to the rear sprocket. It took quite a tug to get it to come off. Their seems to be a lot of debris and dirt trapped in between the links. I know it sounds like I’m being a bit over sensitive to my iccle dirty chain but as a comparison the chain on my Spesh Epic is years old, been through worse and although it looks past it’s best, it never picked up this much crapola. Is it because the constant shifting of gears helps to remove the dirt where as on a singlespeed the chain is fixed and doesnt move around?

Would ‘gunk’ engine cleaner be ok for cleaning the chain? I have a tin in the shed and would save me a trip to Evans

I’ve been under the illusion that the ‘sticky’ stuff was not a lubricant and it’s primary purpose is to prevent new chains oxidising (rusting).

I’ve always thoroughly ‘de-greased’ the new chain by immersion into a de-greaser and swilling about. After fitting, have applied liberal amounts of dry or wet lube as the prevailing season dictates and wiped off excess. Finish Line Wet for most of the year.

Never experienced problems as you’ve described with the chain behaving as a grit magnet.

I’ve also used a chain cleaner thang and found good results with a few refills of the ‘sump’

Thanks for that. So it could very well be the ‘sticky stuff’ on the chain that has caused this and not the FL Wet Lube. I shall give the chain a thorough degreasing and reapply the lube.

new chains are stupidly sticky before you put any lube on.

Sheldon says don’t clean new chains but I always degrease the outside with a rag with chain cleaner on it.

Ah you see, i did wonder about this because the chain was super sticky when I put it on. I was going to leave it alone but thought it might have been some factory grease that was only on it for manufacturing purposes.

Thanks Andy and everyone else that has contributed. This really should have been an easy fix if I hadn’t mislaid the original spacer 🙂 I’m new to bike maintenance and its little issues like this that have me scratching my head…. But I’m learning from these mistakes 🙂

Ok, so I’ve used the 10mm space on top and have wound it down. It has made a slight improvement and the steerer is now flush with the top of the stem. This is how it looks with no spacers

Bought a 5mm spacer from the LBS (smallest they had in stock) and tried it again and this time i managed to clamp the forks up nice and there is no movement… Happy days. It’s just the top stem bolt that worries me now.
With the 5mm spacer in place and the stem bolts nipped up and the steerer/forks nice and solid, the top of the steerer tube now sits half way on the top bolt (where the white lettering is on the stem). Do I put the spacer on top, go for a 3mm spacer to improve clamping safety and a neater look or is this set up ok?

That makes perfect sense. Thanks again Jes.

This is the problem i have.

Stem with no spacer and top cap tightened up

Stem with no spacer…

Stem with added 10mm spacer underneath (borrowed from another bike)

Stem bolt showing above the fork steerer with 10mm spacer added

So i’m guessing a 5mm or 3mm spacer will be the correct way to go?

Thanks Jes. I shall try that before I go spending. Tell me though, why does the top bolt not compress the headset enough so I don’t need to use spacers? It seems a fairly sturdy bolt but am I missing the point completely and the spacers play an important part of the clamping process other than just adjusting the height.

Yes, that’s the one. My only concern is the Thomson stem bolts, one is quite close to the top and if I stack to big a spacer underneath then it might make the stem unusable. That’s why I was wondering how much the headset compresses once it’s tightened properly.

Photos taken yesterday.

How do I know if it’s an external? I’m not up to speed with bottom brackets :-S

Instagrammed for extra fluffeh!

Ha Ha yes i had to adapt the photos, she’s a little minx in real life 😀

Thanks for your help chaps. I’ll get on to this asap. I’m running single speed at the moment so a strong bb would be nice for peace of mind.

Well, she’s been with us for over a week now and we are thoroughly enjoying her. Lots of puppy cuddles going on in our house. Say hello to Minnie 😀

+1 for the Charge Spoon. Cheap to buy and really comfy. Quite nice in the looks department as well.

Ok, quick update. I removed the pads, gave them a rub with some wet n dry paper. Gave the discs and pads and good clean with some ipa and put it all back together. Vast improvement! No squeal and an amazing amount of braking power. Thanks to all for the advice. I’m proper chuffed

Well this was my first time putting a bike together and I was a little nervous taking it out for a quick spin round the block last night 😀 It all seemed fine and I managed to return home without any dramas. I used a mix of 2nd hand and new parts and with help from STW and a budget tool kit, I’d like to think I did an ok job.
A recent chain snapping incident has left me feeling a bit apprehensive to start hammering the hills but I suppose confidence will return the more I get out on the bike 😀
I’ve got a wide 780mm fatbar on it at the moment and I think i might need to trim it but unsure what length is best. I’ll live with it for now and see if I can get used to it.

Just seen this stuff Fenwicks Brake CleanerWorth a punt if I cant get any IPA?

If it’s squealing, check rotor/pad alignment. Some brakes will always squeal as the frame/fork flexes moving the caliper under heavy load.

It’s funny you should say this as yesterday i was shocked at just how much my forks flexed under breaking :-O (Singular Rigid forks)

Thanks matey. What’s best to clean the discs with? Meth/spirit?

It’s worth noting that because the clamp is still directly on top of a Thomson seatpost, with the layback provided by the kink in the tube, that the layback isn’t actually that big. Other straight tube posts have a bigger offset.

Good point. I guess I’m gonna have to have a fiddle with seat positions to see what will work best.

Cheers Clubber. I’m too fat to be worried about saving weight on my bike. 🙂

I think I shall stick with buying an inline Thomson, there is too much doubt in my head now to take a chance on looks alone. I have a woodman carbon post on it at the moment but the seat mount came off and previous owner araldited it back on…. So I’m replacing it for peace of mind. The current post is about 350mm (I think), can I buy a 410mm post and then trim it?

So, it’s a mixed response. I guess the answer would be for me to try and set my bike up for the optimal riding position (whatever that is?) with my inline post and see if a layback post is needed.

Is there a diagram online with the correct riding posiiton that I can use to help me? Found one linky[/url]

Awwwwwwww just how cute is Rolo! Sweeeet

Ha ha Ha Ha Ha ha I love Nboogie 🙂 Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha

I see. Thanks for the All Mountain explanation. I quite like the idea of wider bars but was unsure that Eastons Haven stuff would be overkill or not appropriate for XC riding on me Swift… A bit like having a down hill full susser and then just using it for towpaths etc.

I’ve currently got EA50 bars and a Race Face deus stem… both are old and scuffed. Was Either thinking replacing like for like or spending a bit extra on something better?

thisisnotaspoon – Member

No, god will begin killing kittens as soon as you start riding them.

Eh?

I’m gonna risk it and see what happens. I’m slow enough anyway not to cause any serious impact on the wildlife. 🙂

MTBs and on a mission