Bicycle Maintenance and Repair Megathread: friction in the front, index the rear

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > The Great Outdoors > Bicycle Maintenance and Repair Megathread: friction in the front, index the rear

spf3million: Sep 27, 2007; hit 'em with the rhythm

I spent $80 a couple years ago on a pump with a large side cylinder and a switch next to the valve to release the compressed air from the cylinder into the tire all at once. Works great.

# ¿ Aug 4, 2020 04:22

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# ¿ Apr 26, 2024 04:58

spf3million: Sep 27, 2007; hit 'em with the rhythm

rngd in the womb posted:

Missed tubeless chat, but I've got a question for this thread. I recently did a tubeless conversion on my gravel bike's wheelset, a pair of HED Tomcat Disc's. I used the magical green tape, and have redone the job a couple times because I wanted to avoid bubbling under the layers I put down.

I eventually did a nice job with my taping, but I've noticed that they will hold air pretty well for a few days to maybe a week then just flat. The front wheel does this quicker and more often than the rear wheel. I don't think the amount of sealant is the issue since I initially poured a decent amount of Orange Seal in both tires. Now that the sealant might be drying out, I'm wondering if I should redo the taping, or just add one more layer of tape on them?

FWIW, I'm running Gravelking SK 38's on them and they felt like they held air even with hard riding over rock gardens and the like.

I've had success with a single layer of the magic green tape, mount the tire with a tube, inflate to a relatively high pressure and let it sit for a week (and/or ride it). This presses the tape into the crannys nicely and minimizes the bubbles/creases. Then add sealant and sometimes it works the first time. Others it's like you described, flat in a week. I just keep pumping it back up, spinning, and gyroscoping it to slosh the sealant around. For me it seems to usually be small leaks at the bead which take a while to seal. Eventually they seem to stop leaking and then hold air. Unusual I don't bother using soapy water to find the leak because I'm probably not going to take the tire off and start over anyway.

# ¿ Aug 7, 2020 02:19

spf3million: Sep 27, 2007; hit 'em with the rhythm

Yeah it's also commonly used for that too. My rim/tire combination never seems to need it.

# ¿ Aug 7, 2020 04:12

spf3million: Sep 27, 2007; hit 'em with the rhythm

FogHelmut posted:

I guess tubeless is that good that it's worth carrying all the extra kit?

Add for tubeless
- CO2 inflator in case you need to re-seat the bead
- tire plugs
- spare valve stem
- spare valve core
- spare sealant

Standard kit
- mini pump - still need for tubeless for small pressure modifications
- tire boot - still need for tubeless for large holes
- spare tube - still need for tubeless just in case you have a gigantic hole
- tube patches - still need for tubeless in case your spare tube gets a puncture

I carry this for tire fixes even on my longest (road/gravel) rides:
- spare valve core(s)
- valve core remover
- spare valve stem
- mini pump
- 1 or 2 tubes
- tube patch kit
- dollar bill for tire boot (multi purpose, can also buy things)

Full disclosure I use the ridiculously bougie tubolito tubes as spares. They're expensive af but are super light, pack down way smaller than normal tubes, and I've been able to use them in emergencies then pull them out and re-roll them for future use once I get home.

# ¿ Aug 7, 2020 16:57

spf3million: Sep 27, 2007; hit 'em with the rhythm

Oldsrocket_27 posted:

Does anyone else get great entertainment out of the RJ the Bike Guy videos on YouTube? Like, I understand that the Park Tool videos are gonna show me the right way to do things, be but sometimes I need the right now way to do things, and RJ often supplies them. Plus you get some bonus "let's see what happens" stuff like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KdXz6F0Gaas *Stabs tube with knife*

I love his videos. Did he ever recover from the nasty fall he took off the side of a boardwalk?

# ¿ Aug 8, 2020 04:23

spf3million: Sep 27, 2007; hit 'em with the rhythm

Could you post a pic of each side of the rear dropouts? If it's a long slotted dropout, maybe there's a positioning spring/screw on one side but missing on the other.

e: before you clamp down on the QR lever, you should be able to push the axle forward a tiny bit on one side to get the wheel centered. That's assuming the wheel is dished properly and true.

spf3million fucked around with this message at 16:36 on Aug 9, 2020

# ¿ Aug 9, 2020 16:32

spf3million: Sep 27, 2007; hit 'em with the rhythm

I used this iron on patch on a road-rash induced hole on the hip area of some bibs and it seems to have worked well. Can't feel it and no apparent change after a couple of uses/washes.

# ¿ Aug 22, 2020 20:18

spf3million: Sep 27, 2007; hit 'em with the rhythm

Time posted:

Two independent problems that the bike shop near me has said they have solved twice, but haven't. bike is under a month old and I'm going to lose my mind if I cant get it fixed

1. 2x setup when im on the big cog in front and in the middle on the rear cassette, my chain will refuse to stay in gear. skipping might be the right word but its more like it just keeps trying to shift over and over. it doesnt happen all the time, but it happens and sounds like im wrecking my drivetrain

Sometimes, the bike will shift perfectly on the bike stand but when you're riding it under load, the stresses on the frame bend it slightly which can mess up the gear/shifter indexing. It's weird that it's happening in the middle of the cassette though. Usually happens around the top or bottom. Try a couple turns on the rear shifter barrel adjuster one way or the other. Otherwise, could be a bent rear derailleur hanger.

# ¿ Sep 10, 2020 17:37

spf3million: Sep 27, 2007; hit 'em with the rhythm

Huh, I've been doing it wrong all this time!

# ¿ Sep 12, 2020 00:55

spf3million: Sep 27, 2007; hit 'em with the rhythm

After you sell it, cash in hand as the buyer is walking away with it.

# ¿ Sep 15, 2020 19:18

spf3million: Sep 27, 2007; hit 'em with the rhythm

evil_bunnY posted:

3 of my bikes were stolen about a week ago

That sucks so much, I would be so demoralized if three of my painstakingly built bikes were yanked.

evil_bunnY posted:

our LBS just lent me their test cargo bike for 5 days no questions asked until I could get a replacement for school runs. They wouldn't even take my money (I brought whisky and biscotti instead).

But this is awesome.

# ¿ Sep 20, 2020 13:06

spf3million: Sep 27, 2007; hit 'em with the rhythm

Pro tip for when you install a cable; after you install it and feed it through the housing, cut it way longer than you need. This way you have plenty of cable to grab onto and if the end frays while you're adjusting, no biggie since it'll be cut off when you're all set up anyway.

Also get a proper cable cutter and a box of cable end crimps.

# ¿ Sep 23, 2020 12:50

spf3million: Sep 27, 2007; hit 'em with the rhythm

Urzza posted:

Got a flat a few days ago, and just got around to fixing it. Removed the rear wheel with little issue, found the hole, patched it. I was able to get the tube and tire back on the wheel with little issue, but now I'm having trouble installing the wheel back on the bike. I put the wheel in place, get the chain on the gear, and go to put the through-axle bolt back in. The trouble I'm having is that its not screwing in. The bolt appears to go all the way through the wheel, but its not catching the threads on the other side. Any ideas? It's a Sirrus X 4.0 if that helps.

There isn't really a trick to getting the TA threads to bite. If the bike is still on the stand, try setting it on the ground / on it's wheels so the weight of the bike helps force the axle into alignment. Then sometimes you might need to push on the lower seatstay with the female side of the TA to ensure it engages right.

# ¿ Oct 12, 2020 13:32

spf3million: Sep 27, 2007; hit 'em with the rhythm

Urzza posted:

Ended up just taking it to the shop, and it turns out I just suck. Tech got it in without any issues at all.

It can feel weird if you're not used to it. Glad it's all good.

# ¿ Oct 13, 2020 04:02

spf3million: Sep 27, 2007; hit 'em with the rhythm

vikingstrike posted:

removing the valve core and using an injector to push it through the valve.

This is what I do.

# ¿ Oct 13, 2020 20:10

spf3million: Sep 27, 2007; hit 'em with the rhythm

Is the chain jumping off to the inside or outside? Can we get a photo of the chainrings? The rear derailleur shouldn't cause the chain to jump the front rings. Unless you're Uber cross chained but even then. It's probably a worn chain and/or worm out chainring.

# ¿ Oct 14, 2020 00:51

spf3million: Sep 27, 2007; hit 'em with the rhythm

Your drive train doesn't look horrible. Unfortunately it's going to be hard to diagnose remotely. It sounds like the bike has issues, might not really be worth the trouble trying to get it into tip top shape.

Typically triple cranksets have smaller jumps between rings than doubles. Usually 8-12 teeth for triples and 14t for doubles.

# ¿ Oct 14, 2020 05:13

spf3million: Sep 27, 2007; hit 'em with the rhythm

CopperHound posted:

if you go back and add up all your receipts.

Don't do this

# ¿ Oct 30, 2020 05:24

spf3million: Sep 27, 2007; hit 'em with the rhythm

If you're considering buying a new crank anyway, might as well buy the thread tapper on amazon and try it yourself. If you gently caress it up you can just get the new crank.

# ¿ May 17, 2021 13:34

spf3million: Sep 27, 2007; hit 'em with the rhythm

Bottom Liner posted:

I had a doozy of a mechanical on a bikepacking race this weekend.

That sounds awful, were you alone? Could you think of a tool that would have helped in that situation, like mini pliers it something?

# ¿ May 19, 2021 13:20

spf3million: Sep 27, 2007; hit 'em with the rhythm

The tiny bolt that holds the derailleur hanger and female side of the through axle to the frame bent in transit recently. What's the name of this little guy so I can find a new one?

# ¿ Aug 28, 2022 20:09

spf3million: Sep 27, 2007; hit 'em with the rhythm

Cheers guys thanks. It's off a 2018 Diamondback Haanjo so yeah likely proprietary. I sent DB a note asking for a replacement but I'll swing by the hardware store in the meantime. :tipshat:

# ¿ Aug 28, 2022 22:34

spf3million: Sep 27, 2007; hit 'em with the rhythm

I was surprised too. They're closed today, left em a message. I found a small M4 bolt that seems to fit. It's a little wonky without that flat unthreaded part because it kind of holds the female axle bit tight. I have to hold that part in place until the axle threads bite then it snugs up.

# ¿ Aug 29, 2022 02:27

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# ¿ Apr 26, 2024 04:58

spf3million: Sep 27, 2007; hit 'em with the rhythm

tylertfb posted:

That kind of fastener is called a shoulder screw. That looks like a pretty short shoulder (possibly custom) but a quick look at McMaster Carr website shows M4 shoulder screws with a 2 or 3 mm long shoulder (at 5mm diameter) are available. If you have the bent piece to measure, you might find the proper size replacement there.

Thanks for this. Unfortunately no exact matches on McMaster or the dozen or so other small parts websites I found. M4-0.7, 3mm shoulder length, 5mm shoulder diameter, 10mm thread length, 7mm head diameter, 4mm head height. I might try a couple with various differences in shoulder length, head diameter, etc to see if they fit.
edit: ships in 4-7 weeks

Diamondback got back to me and they don't sell just the bolt. I'd have to buy a new hanger too that clocks in at $38 after shipping.

# ¿ Aug 31, 2022 04:46

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > The Great Outdoors > Bicycle Maintenance and Repair Megathread: friction in the front, index the rear