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Stuff you learn(t) the hard way by being your own mechanic


anybody seen george?

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12 minutes ago, dave303e said:

and when you realise what a pain they are to clean it will become more apparent why it is not that common... But it does look good. Great for a bike you hang on the wall to look at though

Yeah just all together a bad idea.! 😰🤣

only upside I can think of is I’ve maybe made myself a bit more visible.🤷🏼‍♂️

 

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3 minutes ago, Bichael Dewing said:

Yeah just all together a bad idea.! 😰🤣

only upside I can think of is I’ve maybe made myself a bit more visible.🤷🏼‍♂️

 

As a tjop, yeah... :P

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On 1/12/2024 at 11:31 AM, ChrisF said:

One for the books ..... :ph34r:

 

Do a proper strip down and rebuild major service .... front tyre has an out of balance weight .... open and see a big ball of sealant.

 

Remove the tyre and pack out the high pressure jet.

 

Tyre over the chopping block and the sealant is removed easy enough.  What the heck, remove the rear tyre and quickly clean it as well.

 

Step back and clean the area around the chopping block with the pressure hose.

 

Few bits of grass from the weed-eater stuck to the sliding door .... while I am at it might as well clean the sliding door..... and the window above it ..... and the gutter and facia above it ....

 

Ooo-damn .... cant have ONE clean gutter ..... next door, window, gutter and facia ....

 

Last section of gutters at the back ....

 

Same along the side of the house ....

 

Just one short gutter at the front, might as well wrap it up.

 

Damn .... the plaster band around the garage door is looking worse for wear .... actually looks very nice now, especially with the paving also cleared of a few bits of moss .....  

 

Actually, few bits of paint came off .... so the plaster band will have to be repainted ....

 

 

 

And the plan was to just top up the sealant ..... :eek:

 

 

En ek moet nog die fiets weer aanmekaar gaan sit .... 

 

Guess I was 'lucky' that I could peel and rub this off. Takes a long time though, and sore fingers. Using a pressure sprayer might have been fun :)

Probably not necessary either, but I wanted a clean start with fresh sealant. I'll probably have to use a bit more to seal the sidewalls again.

image.jpeg.654e47448ecf00aee412ff3ace560819.jpeg

image.jpeg.b941a2f40ba703e4beb5995bebe07b92.jpeg

image.jpeg.30da7787629111b010ffe2a67a271a3a.jpeg

 

Edited by MrJacques
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36 minutes ago, MrJacques said:

Guess I was 'lucky' that I could peel and rub this off. Takes a long time though, and sore fingers. Using a pressure sprayer might have been fun :)

Probably not necessary either, but I wanted a clean start with fresh sealant. I'll probably have to use a bit more to seal the sidewalls again.

image.jpeg.654e47448ecf00aee412ff3ace560819.jpeg

image.jpeg.b941a2f40ba703e4beb5995bebe07b92.jpeg

image.jpeg.30da7787629111b010ffe2a67a271a3a.jpeg

 

Now you mentioned this, what's the theory for cleaning the old sealant, I've always wondered 

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11 minutes ago, RobertWhitehead said:

Now you mentioned this, what's the theory for cleaning the old sealant, I've always wondered 

The other one had dried sealant in the shape of blisters which I didn't like. 

Maybe a small effect on wheel balancing from slightly uneven distribution, not carrying the excess weight (which is minimal) and not mixing different sealant types, even though it's already dry. In all likelihood unnecessary to remove it and probably not things I'd notice while riding, just like you wouldn't notice a slight tyre wobble. The new sealant will probably re-create similar conditions. It's just nice to have them clean :)

Edited by MrJacques
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29 minutes ago, RobertWhitehead said:

Now you mentioned this, what's the theory for cleaning the old sealant, I've always wondered 

 

On my MTB I use the tyres quick enough, no need to clean out the sealant.

 

 

On the roadie the tyres last much longer.  After 5 000km and regular topping up it had formed a ball big enough to cause the wheel to be out of balance on the truing stand 😵

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On 1/31/2024 at 8:14 AM, mazambaan said:so I suspect a visit to the R1 000 shop for a new chain is the order of the day. BUT, whole day gone and a more careful chain inspection would have saved it.

Look, i had a GOOD chuckle at the ‘R1000’ bike shop! How very accurate your description is! 😆

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4 hours ago, ChrisF said:

 

On my MTB I use the tyres quick enough, no need to clean out the sealant.

 

 

On the roadie the tyres last much longer.  After 5 000km and regular topping up it had formed a ball big enough to cause the wheel to be out of balance on the truing stand 😵

Sure thing, balls of sealant I also take out, those suckers can get big

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56 minutes ago, RobertWhitehead said:

Sure thing, balls of sealant I also take out, those suckers can get big

If you leave them long enough the fit in your hubs and make good substitutes for bearings as-well ! 

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9 hours ago, MrJacques said:

Guess I was 'lucky' that I could peel and rub this off. Takes a long time though, and sore fingers. Using a pressure sprayer might have been fun :)

Probably not necessary either, but I wanted a clean start with fresh sealant. I'll probably have to use a bit more to seal the sidewalls again.

image.jpeg.654e47448ecf00aee412ff3ace560819.jpeg

image.jpeg.b941a2f40ba703e4beb5995bebe07b92.jpeg

image.jpeg.30da7787629111b010ffe2a67a271a3a.jpeg

 

I don't want to play "Devils Advocate" Here But Here Goes.

I been using Tubeless for a Long Time 

I started on my Merida Kalahari in the Days that you could not even Get Sealant or TR 26er Tyres.

We used to call it Ghetto Tubelass the Ou Manne will Know What I'm Talking about.

I have the Knowledge to Make my Own Sealant as well.

5 years ago I converted my Trusty Merida Big 9 back to Tubes with tube Protectures from Sportsman's Warehouse and Slime Tube Sealant. Initially the bike did feel Heavier I have to admit to that. Eventually I Got rid of the Sealant for Obvious Reasons. Initially I did have a cut in the tube which was resolved by sanding the Rough edges of the tube protectures and Installing Brand New Kenda Tubes. 4 1/2 Years On and 7000 Km with no Punctures.

I recently converted my Trusty Merida 120 back to Tubes and Sportsman's Tube Protectures, Kenda Tubes Brand New from Cycle Lab , no sealant. 6 months on no Punctures. Makes You think.

I have found thorns and nails embedded in the tyre

The Bike once again felt a bit heavier, And IT IS  about 100 Grams per wheel. 

I have found Thorns and Nails Embedded in the Tyre but no Punctures so far.

Glass has no Chance.

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7 hours ago, dasilvarsa said:

I don't want to play "Devils Advocate" Here But Here Goes.

I been using Tubeless for a Long Time 

I started on my Merida Kalahari in the Days that you could not even Get Sealant or TR 26er Tyres.

We used to call it Ghetto Tubelass the Ou Manne will Know What I'm Talking about.

I have the Knowledge to Make my Own Sealant as well.

5 years ago I converted my Trusty Merida Big 9 back to Tubes with tube Protectures from Sportsman's Warehouse and Slime Tube Sealant. Initially the bike did feel Heavier I have to admit to that. Eventually I Got rid of the Sealant for Obvious Reasons. Initially I did have a cut in the tube which was resolved by sanding the Rough edges of the tube protectures and Installing Brand New Kenda Tubes. 4 1/2 Years On and 7000 Km with no Punctures.

I recently converted my Trusty Merida 120 back to Tubes and Sportsman's Tube Protectures, Kenda Tubes Brand New from Cycle Lab , no sealant. 6 months on no Punctures. Makes You think.

I have found thorns and nails embedded in the tyre

The Bike once again felt a bit heavier, And IT IS  about 100 Grams per wheel. 

I have found Thorns and Nails Embedded in the Tyre but no Punctures so far.

Glass has no Chance.

 

Maritz used tubes, with slime, for years as tubeless was not an option for smaller kids bikes at the time.  LOTS of thorns, no flats.

 

 

I got my Scott with tubes and rode it like that for 6 months before going tubeless.  No issues.

 

 

My HT came with tyres that were not tubeless ready.  So I ran tubes with slime.... until It let go 40km from home.  Had to swop out tubes next to the road....

 

 

 

Either way .... between thorns and bits of glass slime works hard to keep us going

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I had too many annoying pinch flats with tubes to want to go back to using them. Had to run harder tyre pressures to avoid them. I didn't have a good experience with slime in tubes, didn't seal well for me and made patching difficult. Tubeless is a bit more expensive to maintain (sealant costs), but works better for me on the trails.

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I tried tubes for all of 2 weeks on the Tygerberg trails in summer before giving up. Even with sealant I've had thorns that the sealant struggled with. No thanks...

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Just picked up my bike from a nation wide famous bike shop, and as I sort of expected when I dropped it of just before xmas, half of the stuff isn’t done right, but as I don’t believe they actually have a clue, I’m not going to bother taking it back.

So here’s the main problem I can sort out on my own, I already had it in the past when I swapped the current 11spd freehub for a microspline, and now that it’s back to the original freehub I get the same problem. It’s impossible to get the freehub/cassette turning once the wheel is on the bike and the axle tightened. My LBS fixed it in 5 mins last time but I didn’t dare ask how. Apparently it was some bearing preload issue ? Should I pursue it on my own or just be patient and have an actual mechanic look at it ?

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