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

[Zebra]

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! 😆

[RobertWhitehead]

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

[HE-WORKS]

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 ! 

[dasilvarsa]

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.

 

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.

[ChrisF]

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

[MrJacques]

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.

[Newbie321]

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...

[Alouette3]

On 1/31/2024 at 3:41 PM, Captain Fastbastard Mayhem said:

 

Captain Mayhem rises from the ashes!!! Welcome 

[Jbr]

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 ?

[ChrisF]

44 minutes ago, Jbr said:

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 ?

 

Knipe_Racing

 

or

 

Marks Workshop

 

 

Which ever is closer to you.

 

Sorry, no experience with the guys in the South.  Still want to get a day-pass to go visit the Droo's ....

[Jbr]

2 minutes ago, ChrisF said:

 

Knipe_Racing

 

or

 

Marks Workshop

 

 

Which ever is closer to you.

 

Sorry, no experience with the guys in the South.  Still want to get a day-pass to go visit the Droo's ....

Those are too far, I have a decent shop nearby, I’ll probably take it to them if I can’t find the solution myself, I took that freehub appart multiple times and tried a few things without success, and YouTube I only find tutorials with quickrelease I don’t think it applies to my problem… so yeah…unlikely that I find the solution 😒

[ChrisF]

4 minutes ago, Jbr said:

Those are too far, I have a decent shop nearby, I’ll probably take it to them if I can’t find the solution myself, I took that freehub appart multiple times and tried a few things without success, and YouTube I only find tutorials with quickrelease I don’t think it applies to my problem… so yeah…unlikely that I find the solution 😒

 

The Droo's @droo ?   Some say you get a beer if they cant fix it ....

 

 

Speak to your LBS, ask him to explain the possible pre-load issue.  (kindly share when you understand it)

[dasilvarsa]

10 hours ago, Newbie321 said:

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...

Tube Protectors Correctly Fitted Available at sportsmans warehouse and Major Bike shops.

[Alouette3]

@Jbr what hub have you got?

I have experienced this with DT Swiss 3pawl hubs for instance, there is a spacer tube over the axle, over time they compress just enough to cause binding. First time I replaced it, problem solved, 2 years later, same issue, chatted to my local mech and he handed me a very thin spacer washer to take up the space left by the material compressing... apparently next time it happens he has another slightly thicker washer 

[Jbr]

21 minutes ago, BaGearA said:

Most of the time its the washer between the freehub and hub being missing or flipped.

 

But with hubs that don't use that system it could be bearings not seated all the way, In my case it once was one of the end caps being slightly damaged. 

I think it’s more a case of wrong end cap than spacing behind the freehub because once the wheel is on the wheel freewheels no problem I can also backpedal, but the cassette/body just won’t move forward

[droo]

3 hours ago, Jbr said:

I think it’s more a case of wrong end cap than spacing behind the freehub because once the wheel is on the wheel freewheels no problem I can also backpedal, but the cassette/body just won’t move forward

I'll ask too then - what hub?

Different hubs will have different solutions for the same issue.

DT 350 - usually a freehub seal that's not been seated properly after a bearing replacement. Seat seal properly, problem solved.

DT 370 - knackered freehub spacer. Replace spacer, problem solved.

Most other hubs - missing freehub spacer. Fit spacer.

Freehub drag is never a preload issue, there is no hub that has preload adjust on the freehub aside from Shimano, which requires completely stripping the freehub and adding or removing shims.