David Marshall

Sounds like a 609 2RS. (9 x 24 x 7). Quite common. See if the seals have the code stamped on them or else take the lot to a bearing or bike shop.

I've built MD21 and MD25s and never had come backs with them.

You can use red rubber grease.

Zipp specify acetone - and with good reason I don't touch tubbies! Casper at Chainwizzard is the go to tubbie man.

I also would not recommend the epoxy/Loctite fix. As mentioned above it will not stand the rotational torque. The best way to remove a bearing or BB that has been "fixed" in with either is to carefully cut a slot or two and then to peel it out in a rotational manner.

See if you can find a Mavic CXP33 (Dragons Sports). Similar profile to the Velocity Fusion and just as tough. In the early days of 29rs we used them to build MTB wheels for the big boys.

If the other dimensions are the same I can turn the cap down on the lathe. Bring the axle and wheel when you come. Best to WhatsApp as I am not usually online. 072 222 7185.

Looks like the Novatec. I have them at R140 ea.

It sounds like you have a hollow axle with QR ends. Usually two types - one with ridges on the axle to rest up against the bearings and end caps which pop off and the second with spacers in the hub and free hub and end caps that screw on. Trying to modify with a Shimano axle will be a disaster. Post some pics and I will see what I have.

As you leave town turn left or right and start climbing. As mentioned those roads are generally good with mostly a good shoulder. Watch out for timber trucks.

Hi Pressure Lezyne with the hose. Pump until it is too hot to hold - that is about 100psi. Any road specified pump should work but you need to pump, pump and pump some more.

If it is going into a QA road frame it will be fine. The FD is likely to be a problem as in that era most were clamp on and the tubes thinner than the modern frames.

BSA won't fit and you are pretty much screwed as far as Octolink 1 goes. It is difficult enough to find English threaded ones and if you do you can buy a square taper crank for less. Italian BB's are all expensive. Sell the bike while it is still going or look at something like a Velo Orange BB (serviceable bearings) and a square taper crank.

It is simply the routing of the cable and more importantly the housing that influences the shifting feel. I have two drop bar road bikes - an older one where the cable is routed from outside through the shifter to inside and then into the housing which follows a graceful curve to the down tube and then on to the RD. The shifting performance is as good as the a flat bar shifter. The newer one has the (now more common) under bar tape routing. The cable enters the shifter from the underside and makes a sharp turn to the rear of the hood. Another sharp turn along the bar and then possibly more sharp turns if your frame has routing through the bar, stem or frame. This added friction influences the shifting feel. The other effect is on the way the housing and cable interact. As you shift up the cassette the cable gets tighter but still moves the same distance with each shift. If it twists as it tightens it will not move the same distance. That is why if you strip off the outer layer of gear housing you will see the shielding wires have a long gentle twist. This is so that the housing can move to compensate for any cable twist. The more corners you route around the more the tendency to twist and the less the housing can move. This is the reason that you just don't use brake housing on your gears. Just by coincidence the super slick coated cables made their appearance at the time the cable routing changed. Problem being that the Shimano cable coating sheds like snake skin and clogs the housing ferrules while the Sram ones shed "gunpowder" with much the same effect. But never fear! Electronic and bluetooth groupsets will solve all this.

I bought myself a second hand Fuji Absolute as a gravel bike because the price was (very) right. It comes standard with flat bar 105 11 speed road shifters and Tektro hydraulic brakes. The thought was to look out for drops as I am a roadie and felt that I would be more at home with them. Thing is the shifting is so good - far better than my road bike with under bar tape cables - that I wont go to the expense and hassle of changing.

How does a trip to the paint shop increase the fluid in the brake? The internals are also pretty basic so if the lever or caliper is not sticking I doubt that there is damage. Sounds like a good bleed needed to me.

The hoods are model specific. You should find the part number on the lever or on the casing somewhere. Forget trying the local agents. You might find aftermarket ones overseas if you are lucky. Cables and housing from any bike shop.

For 68 mm shell you use a 2.5 mm spacer between each threaded cup and the frame. In the box you get these and the non drive side seal. That should be all you need. If you torque the crank and there is play you can think about spacers.

The tool you need is the one for Shimano/Sram outboard threaded BB. There are others that look the same so make sure that the diameter and number of notches match.

If your hub bearings are causing friction the chances are that at least the balls and most likely the cones are screwed. Here lies the rub because the original balls/cones are not well supported by the local agents so when you send your bike in for service you end up with Chinese ones that fit - just about. Usually the seals are not compatible so are left off. On a real entry level wheel it is not a problem because that is probably what they started with anyway but it is sad to see a quality hub butchered like this. It is important to service your wheels well before there is any sign of friction so you need a strict routine. What most cyclists don't know is that balls are graded. G100 balls sell for around R15 per 100 (100 being the maximum size of a defect on the ball in microns). G25 are around R1-50 each - this is the quality in most mid level bicycle hubs and G5 at R3-50 ea (Dura Ace etc). No prize for guessing which you will end up with after a service! Cup and cone hubs are technically excellent for bicycles, which is why the likes of Shimano and Campy have stuck with them for so long BUT I always recommend cartridge bearing hubs because of the service problems experienced with the cup and cone type. Different if you service your own wheels and do it regularly. I have a DA 7700 hub that has run for many years and is still as smooth as the day I built the wheel.

I'll wait for the Crocs version - with secret socks.

The Reverb is tricky to service. I don't think many shops would do them in house. The main reason is that if anything is not done 100% right and in sequence you only find out at the end and have to strip it again. You need the bleed tools and the service parts alone cost almost as much as a cheap dropper. If you don't service there is a good chance that you will damage the sliding tube with the bush in the top cap - similar to the damage you see on fork stanchions.

This is the hub. The minute you leave your post to measure something someone else chips in!

Also try Droo on the Hub. If you don't come right I have a set of wipers 32/44. You should be able to get an oil seal from an industrial bearing company. I also have a combined wiper/seal 32/42/6.5-9.5. Not sure which your model uses.

Those hubs are fairly silent. When it makes a noise then you have a problem! The freehub is a sealed unit and replaced rather than serviced - but good luck in getting one locally.