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

[ChrisF]

Lesson for the day .... Murphey is a "naughty man" ....  

 

Did the once over check before leaving home.  Actually did a short ride outside the house checking the tyre pressures before closing the garage.

 

3km later the bike feels "weird" .... cant put my finger on it, but something is off.

 

As I go past CWC on the way to the trails I check the handling again, certainly something off .... checking to the back .... rear tire lost pressure before the Sludge sealed a puncture.

 

I have one of those mini pumps ..... maar wie wil nou reg op n fiets winkel se stoep sukkel ....

 

Thanks to the guys at CWC.  Quickly topped up the pressure, and off I went.

 

30km further, no issues.  Murphey oooooo murphey ....... jou bliksem.

[Chadvdw67]

Dont put your hands near the spinny rotatey thingies absent mindedly while they are spinny spinning......

 

[thebob]

On 4/17/2023 at 1:53 PM, Frosty said:

Anyway, sanity prevailed and a short while later I was done. New chain days are awesome.

That story reminds me of 3 hour struggle with a chain I had with a KTM 250 the day before a race. That horrible episode is why I have a rule which is to never work on a bike the day before a race besides lubing the chain and checking the tyre pressure

[MrJacques]

1 hour ago, thebob said:

That story reminds me of 3 hour struggle with a chain I had with a KTM 250 the day before a race. That horrible episode is why I have a rule which is to never work on a bike the day before a race besides lubing the chain and checking the tyre pressure

Yup! Been there done that and managed to push the brake piston out while checking the brakes with the wheel off. Had to borrow a brake from someone who fortunately had a spare for me. I don't think I had the supplies to bleed it myself yet.

 

[Kingston coetzee]

Literally today I tried to fix my tektro disk brake and ended up with no brakes at all🤦🏻‍♂️

[MrJacques]

9 hours ago, Kingston coetzee said:

Literally today I tried to fix my tektro disk brake and ended up with no brakes at all🤦🏻‍♂️

Brakes can be tricky. Not sure what happened to yours, but bleeding incompletely can leave bubbles and a spongy feeling. Pulling the lever with nothing to stop them can pop the pistons out.

Getting oil on the pads and rotors can lead to brakes that don't work well. Rotors can be cleaned. Pads not really, unless they're sintered. If you're lucky a bit of light sandpapering and then bedding in may work. I've tried soaking resin pads in alcohol and heating them up which worked for a short while, until they disintegrated on the trail. I think one or both of those up messed up the resin. Also not installing the pin / bolt can lead to them falling out on the trails.

Something that did seem to work for getting some bubbles out was to open the reservoir and tape up the lever in a squeezed position and leave it like that overnight. Then top up.

[The Ouzo]

13 hours ago, Chadvdw67 said:

Dont put your hands near the spinny rotatey thingies absent mindedly while they are spinny spinning......

 

sheez, howz about a warning first.

 

That look eina. and its in one of those places that just makes healing a bastard.

[Chadvdw67]

1 hour ago, The Ouzo said:

sheez, howz about a warning first.

 

That look eina. and its in one of those places that just makes healing a bastard.

And I work with my hands in a factory everyday, going to be a rough couple days up ahead

[TheoG]

On 5/12/2023 at 7:03 PM, Chadvdw67 said:

Dont put your hands near the spinny rotatey thingies absent mindedly while they are spinny spinning......

 

Also made that mistake a few years ago, caught my thumb, took for ever to grow the nail back ... 🙈

[MrJacques]

You need a decent properly fitting 2mm hex / allen key for Shimano brake lever bleed caps. You need to insert it properly (may need to tap it in) or you're like to round off the hole (I alsmost did) and then you'll have to make other plans to get that cap off.

[Frosty]

44 minutes ago, MrJacques said:

You need a decent properly fitting 2mm hex / allen key for Shimano brake lever bleed caps. You need to insert it properly (may need to tap it in) or you're like to round off the hole (I alsmost did) and then you'll have to make other plans to get that cap off.

A rounded bolt and be removed by placing an elastic rubber band in first, then the Allen key, so the elastic is on 4 sides of the hex. Not sure on 2mm, as it’s a bit small, but it works well on 4mm and bigger; also on screw driver heads too.

But I guess “how tight” is another thing causing rounded problems.

[MrJacques]

1 minute ago, Frosty said:

A rounded bolt and be removed by placing an elastic rubber band in first, then the Allen key, so the elastic is on 4 sides of the hex. Not sure on 2mm, as it’s a bit small, but it works well on 4mm and bigger; also on screw driver heads too.

But I guess “how tight” is another thing causing rounded problems.

I've tried the rubber band trick on a rounded out top cap bolt and it didn't work for me, but I also didn't have it on 4 sides. It was a 'fancy' top cap with holes, so I could at least use pliers to undo the cap.

[W@nted]

So I managed to fix a slipping seatpost (aluminium post in carbon frame).

Tried carbon friction paste, no success using the indicated torque values on the clamp…

 

Then tried the old chalk trick. Works a charm! Basically applied chalk on the clamp area. No slippage.

 

I am however not sure what the long term effect can be on the alu/carbon? 

[MrJacques]

51 minutes ago, W@nted said:

So I managed to fix a slipping seatpost (aluminium post in carbon frame).

Tried carbon friction paste, no success using the indicated torque values on the clamp…

 

Then tried the old chalk trick. Works a charm! Basically applied chalk on the clamp area. No slippage.

 

I am however not sure what the long term effect can be on the alu/carbon? 

Never heard of the chalk trick, will keep that in mind.

I think you're risking galvanic corrosion and a stuck seatpost: Can You Put a Carbon Seat Post In an Aluminum Frame? – Brainy Biker

[MrJacques]

First time I've seen these clips on a bike. They're meant to stop the bolts backing out.

[RobertWhitehead]

3 hours ago, Frosty said:

A rounded bolt and be removed by placing an elastic rubber band in first, then the Allen key, so the elastic is on 4 sides of the hex. Not sure on 2mm, as it’s a bit small, but it works well on 4mm and bigger; also on screw driver heads too.

But I guess “how tight” is another thing causing rounded problems.

You know what I use? I've always wanted one and finally got one for a steal: I use a Dremel to cut a groove on any rounded bolt head then simply use a flat 😁. I then chuck the bolt and replace it with a new one