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

[Fleming]

Mr Min is great for giving your bike that shiny look but dont under any circumstances use it to polish you saddle.

[MORNE]

something about modern bikes....

never assume your axles are still as tight as the last time you torqued them. ESPECIALLY if you almost never take them off. 

when i took my bike apart after doing  around the pot, I realised the rear axle was so close to coming out. I could undo it with my fingers. It obviously loosens itself over time. They should really consider making them reverse thread too. 

PS: this is those bolt up ones...not "QR Thu axle" - those are better imo. 

 

Edited August 29, 2022 by MORNE

[MORNE]

On 8/24/2022 at 5:35 PM, PhilipV said:

snip

 

On 8/24/2022 at 4:17 PM, Hairy said:

snip

 

On 8/24/2022 at 3:26 PM, dave303e said:

snip

i have to ad that we are tuna free for a long time now. not that i really care about what other people think haha, but ill take it as I dish it out.  

We thoroughly enjoyed 'trokkie' though. took it all over the place, saw most of the country in it...even to richterveld in namibia

The rav is a great car, so great in fact...everybody is now building one lol.

It's my wife's car - and she loves it that all that matters. 

 

Ive mentioned it on here before,

I literally don't own a car...havent since that same Pajero and 1983 golf mentioned earlier actually haha. We get around with one car (and bicycles) just fine. The office has a small toyota Aygo - aka the office cockroach, which i use in a pinch. We call it cockroach because it literally wont die. it has 180k km on it...has been driven with no oil in it, almost no water in it...hasnt been serviced in 5 years, and the staff all think it's a formula 1 car. It is fun thrashing it about though. 1.0, 3 cylinder so sounds like a small beast and has no rev limiter haha. Felt bad for the thing so took it to toyota to get it major serviced beginning this year - expecting them to full well tell me the thing is f'd and we could get a new one - and all they did was put new oil in it...and a filter and said it was still going strong haha

 

 

[MrJacques]

3 hours ago, MORNE said:

something about modern bikes....

never assume your axles are still as tight as the last time you torqued them. ESPECIALLY if you almost never take them off. 

when i took my bike apart after doing  around the pot, I realised the rear axle was so close to coming out. I could undo it with my fingers. It obviously loosens itself over time. They should really consider making them reverse thread too. 

PS: this is those bolt up ones...not "QR Thu axle" - those are better imo. 

 

Yup. A while ago on a ride something felt off and I noticed something almost like when you have a loose headset. Turned out to be the front axle that had wiggled it's way out. I suppose you can add a drop of loctite if you want it more secure, but it might make a trailside repair difficult if you overdo it.

[The Ouzo]

Always carry one slug up in your Ryder Slug Plug.

 

This morning I picked up a nail in the rear tyre. Stupidly I pulled it out before getting the slug plug ready. So with one hand I was closing the hole to keep some air in, with the other hand I fished out the slug plug, opened it and got it ready to insert the plug. I would not have been able to get a plug and put it into the tool with one hand.

 

Also. If you know you have a dodgy CO2 inflator, dont forget your pump at home.

[ChrisF]

53 minutes ago, ouzo said:

Always carry one slug up in your Ryder Slug Plug.

 

This morning I picked up a nail in the rear tyre. Stupidly I pulled it out before getting the slug plug ready. So with one hand I was closing the hole to keep some air in, with the other hand I fished out the slug plug, opened it and got it ready to insert the plug. I would not have been able to get a plug and put it into the tool with one hand.

 

Also. If you know you have a dodgy CO2 inflator, dont forget your pump at home.

 

Thursday night I was doing my last checks on the bike ... realised I had not replaced the slug after helping another rider at Trans Augrabies.

 

Put a new slug in .... and ended up using it on Saturday to help a rider at V&V event.

 

 

 

excuse me while I run off to replace the slug .....

 

[dasilvarsa]

Formula Hub Rescue from Seized Brake Side Bearing using McGuyver Tool.

The Wheel is running Really Smooth with new 40 Rand 6903 Z Bearing.

 

Edited September 14, 2022 by dasilvarsa

[ChrisF]

Oooooo mannnn ... 🙈

 

Tidied up the HT's cockpit.  When I replaced the brakes I really cleaned up the look with snug fitting hose lengths ....

 

 

2 years later .... got a nice wide bar, fitting Ergo.grips.

 

 

Ooooops.  Brake hose too short.  Nice direct routing at the back .... no slack to take up ....

 

 

O.welllll .... school fees are part of the game ... 😋 🤣

[ChrisF]

Question to the Hubbers 

....

 

Is there a way to "tie" a new hydraulic hose to the old, to pull it through an internally routed frame ?

[Zebra]

https://bikerumor.com/quick-fix-easily-pull-hydraulic-brake-hoses-through-internally-routed-frames/

[PhilipV]

9 hours ago, ChrisF said:

Question to the Hubbers 

....

 

Is there a way to "tie" a new hydraulic hose to the old, to pull it through an internally routed frame ?

A friend of mine brased two small screws together to act as a join between two cable outers, effectively screwing them together. Not sure wether you can make something like this, or wether it will work for hydraulic hoses? 

I've taped 12v cables together with insulation tape before to pull new wires in when I rewired my parent's camper. That might help if the cable run isn't too tight. 

[Steady Spin]

9 hours ago, ChrisF said:

Question to the Hubbers 

....

 

Is there a way to "tie" a new hydraulic hose to the old, to pull it through an internally routed frame ?

Gorilla tape. Cut a long piece and stick it along the length of the hoses. That way you have more grip on both. 

The trick is to push the new hose into the frame while gently guiding the old one out. Don’t pull on it too much. 

[Me rida my bicycle]

10 hours ago, ChrisF said:

Question to the Hubbers 

....

 

Is there a way to "tie" a new hydraulic hose to the old, to pull it through an internally routed frame ?

Jy kry iets wat die 2 aan mekaar connect wat die lewe baie makliker maak. Ek sal 'n draai kom maak 😁

Edited November 8, 2022 by Me rida my bicycle

[ChrisF]

1 hour ago, Me rida my bicycle said:

Jy kry iets wat die 2 aan mekaar connect wat die lewe baie makliker maak. Ek sal 'n draai kom maak 😁

 

Thanks guys, some nice options.

 

I am going to try and make a tool like this .... brass welding rod, and tap some thread onto both  ends.  I do have a a nice 2,4mm SS rod, but this may be a bit tough for cutting thread into it (will still give it a try)

 

 

 

I like these little sub-projects.

Edited November 8, 2022 by ChrisF

[MORNE]

Friends don’t let friends buy internally routed frames😅

when i got my latest plaashek, i took the dropper out to replace the sloppy cable…not  thinking about it too much..droppers are easy right?…

when i went to put it back I realised the cable needs to be fished through a hole about twice the size of the cable housing..and 300mm down the seat tube, past the main pivot internals🤦‍♂️

i wont make that mistake again…

16 minutes ago, Me rida my bicycle said:

Jy kry iets wat die 2 aan mekaar connect wat die lewe baie makliker maak. Ek sal 'n draai kom maak 😁

 

Edited November 8, 2022 by MORNE

[Me rida my bicycle]

14 minutes ago, MORNE said:

Friends don’t let friends buy internally routed frames😅

when i got my latest plaashek, i took the dropper out to replace the sloppy cable…not  thinking about it too much..droppers are easy right?…

when i went to put it back I realised the cable needs to be fished through a hole about twice the size of the cable housing..and 300mm down the seat tube, past the main pivot internals🤦‍♂️

i wont make that mistake again…

 

When I decided to fit a internal dropper on my Scale some strong words where used like eskom, zuma and diesel. So I got that for when ever I needed to change cable housing or brake hose. 

I also have stripped cable housing for the inner part. When ever I need to change a cable I just slide that over till it comes out the other end, remove the cable and stick in the new one. 

I love working on bikes but I don't like to sukkel 😁