David Marshall

Give me a call. Previously built wheels at Yellowsaddle.

You have said it all. No sane reason to have a presfit bearing on a bike, especially the BB. When you have to introduce PTFE tape and slivers of beer can to keep the BB in on a one year old frame you ask yourself what happened to the outboard screw in BB. It was such a big step forward over the square taper and octolink types. Now a step back just so designeres can use lighter frame tubes over bigger joints and market it as "stiffer". I would rather buy a second hand screw fit BB frame than a new pressfit one. (But then I'm getting old!)

If your fork was new with the build 150km is not a lot of riding. You might get some lube grease leaving a dust line from the new seal/wiper when the fork is new. Definitely should not be visible as oil or wetness.

I have the tools and seals. Requires a bit of patience and very speicalised tools (including a toothpick and spoke). There was a detailed thread on the damper service a while ago. Seems like Fox is the only manufacturer to specify nitrogen - air is good enough for the rest! Why nitrogen? Cheapest inert gas and with a regulator you can control the pressure. Also using air you will get some condensation under pressure although this is not a problem. Give me a call if you would like me to service it.

Not sure if the Specialized is frame specific but you should be able to get from a bike shop.

Difficult to advise without seeing. To me sounds like the chain or chainring could be worn. The "dead" feeling would be because the shift has happened without the shifter engaging ie the shifter still thinks it is still on the mid ring so you would have to shift down first and then back to the middle ring. I would try another chain to see if it still happens.

I've tried a number of ways to get grease into those difficult places on a bike (like cup and cones) with varying degrees of success. On my fancy pro shop level one I have lost the spring in cleaning and disposable syringes don't last (plunger rubber expands from the grease and the outlet is too short for the freewheel cup.) This one is the best to date and won't brake the bank. Pro Chef basting syringe - R40 at Checkers. Nice oil resistant plunger. Cut the thick needle to length. Don't overfill as it becomes difficult to operate the plunger.

They are lubed from the inside. A small quantity of oil is added to the lower during services. Any lube you manage to get in from the outside (which should not be possible) is going to trap dirt between the seal and wiper which is not on. Just keep them clean and keep to the service intervals.

You will get no advantage by balancing wheels. Too many other forces in play. If you put a bike on a workstand and crank it up you will see just how unstable the whole set up is. That said, I always offset my valve with my magnet directly opposite!

Second what Droo said, double butted, brand name, brass nipples. Only say brand name as they invariably use Sandvik vacuum degassed stainless steel, which is the only steel to use on spokes.

As long as the chainrings are 104 BCD for the mid and large and 64 for the small. The M410 should be 9 speed compatible anyway. Try it before you change.

I can build you a great set of wheels.....when those are worn out! The only downside to those wheels are the aliminum nipples. They will bite you in about three years time. Do the tubeless conversion and ride!

Depending on the cassette you can remove the gears one at a time (or the ones that are riveted together). Helps to have two chain whips. One to hold the cassette and one to reverse the gears.

There are a few things to keep in mind. Wheel diameter is important. A 26" Crest is way stronger than any of the 29" versions. Also with the same rim spec a 36 spoked wheel will be significantly stronger than a 32 spoked wheel. Failure normally happens in three areas. 1) Denting the rim from hitting objects. If the wall is not beefy enough the dent will extend into double section of the rim and then is not repairable. I have seen this a couple of times with heavy guys on Crests. 2) You get stress cracks around the nipple holes caused by the wheel flexing. The heavier the rider the faster this will happen. 3) To compensate for the flexing you build the wheels to a high spoke tension. This strengthens the wheel in the radial plane. It weakens the wheel in the lateral plane. This increases the risk of failure where the wheel collapses when for example you hit sand at an angle. What you choose depends on what you want to do. For everyday use build strong. For race days build as light as your risk aversion allows. For most guys a strong wheelset for all occasions is the best bet.

My thoughts. The groupset is important. The carbon bikes came out in that year with 105, Ultegra and Dura ace, all 10 speed. You need to be careful though. The 2005 bikes were 9 speed for the 105 and Ultegra. What you are looking at could be a 2005 first sold in 2006. Check out www.bikepedia.com which will give you the colours and specs of each bike for each year. I would be happy with a good 10 speed 105 for up to R6000 and Ultegra for R7000. I would not look at a 9 speed.

+1

Don't overtighten the spokes! You will collapse the rim LONG before you break a spoke. When you think you are near the right tension (evenly tension, true and pluck the spokes as you work), you lean your weight onto the rim with the hub resting on a block of wood on the floor. This allows any spokes with wind up to relax - you will hear the nipples spring around as your weight relaxes the spokes. Turn it over and do the same on the other side. At this stage you can feel the wheel start to give if your tension is right. It will feel weaker - ie more like it wants to fold - when the drive side spokes are uppermost. Try it using a similar finished wheel without the tire first to get the feel. Remember that a 26" wheel will be much stiffer than a 29" or road wheel at the same spoke tension.

http://forums.mtbr.com/drivetrain-shifters-derailleurs-cranks/bottom-bracket-standards-guide-bb30-pf30-outboard-bearing-compatibility-759487.html The above link explains it well.

Have you checked that you haven't broken one of the springs on the air piston side?

As long as the speeds are the same they are compatible.

When you put a new chain on the chain will slip by one tooth on the worn gears on the cassette (when powering hard). It can also slip on a worn chain ring but usually you pick up chain suck before this happens. Only change the cassette if the new chain slips. Check chain condition as per Droo's link.

It is unlikely that you will find what you are looking for locally. Most of the 1inch headsets here are cheapies and not suited to a real bike. If your headset races are damaged you will need to replace the headset and then you need to establish if yours is JIS or ISO standard 1". The part of the cup that goes into the headtube measures exactly 30mm OD and 27mm ID on the JIS and 30.2mm and 26.4mm on the ISO standard. The 1 inch forks are still used in the UK on commuters so that is where I would start looking. You just might find something with cartridge bearings but don't hold your breath.

I also prefer the spin bike. Converted mine from fixed to freewheel with a cheap BMX freewheel. Also find that the indoor trainers wear out shafts and bearings quickly. Another thing in favour of the Giant is that the seat and bar height adjustments are continuous which makes for more accurate set up.

To get the cassette off can be difficult once it has bitten in. I use two chain whips. One to hold the cassette still, the other to remove the gears one at a time.

+1 (or Pledge). Great on Carbon as well. Get those last minute thumb prints off before the customer arrives. Also good for getting the sticker residue off frames.