Johan Bornman Posted June 19, 2009 Posted June 19, 2009 Workshop Stories: The Red Poskantoor Dikwiel<?: prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /> Hello, hello sa. Hello sa. I looked out from my workshop to the front gate where each day, broom sellers, pamphlet distributors, Jehovah?s Witnesses and kids on broken bicycles vie for my attention. I?m in sight of the street and I like to work with the door open. I don't know why. It was Peter, my local postal delivery man. His red bicycle was broken, it pissed with rain and he wanted to get on with his job. He can?t do that with a broken chain. I opened the gate and let him into the workshop. ?It?s my chain, it is broken,? he said and showed me a sideplate that came loose. The chain gaped open, useless. ?I want to borrow a hammer so we fix the chain,? he explained. The bike was covered in road grit and in a sorry state. The crank had about 50mm of play in any direction. The chain was buggered, the pedals mere shiny pins in the cranks, platforms long gone and every moving part worn to incredulous proportions ? two inches of play in the wheel, etc. A hammer? No pal, in this workshop we don?t fix chains with hammers, we fix them properly, I thought as I fetched a chain breaker. The wide chain just-just fitted inside the breaker and soon I had the chain off. Another half-link also had to come off and we were ready to sew it all together without the broken link. No way, the chain was now too short and without a derailer to take up the slack, I had to move the wheel forward in its horizontal frame slots. First the two nuts that hold the wheel had to be removed ? a chance to use my two 15mm spanners that last saw use on a Volkswagen beetle engine in 1978. That done, the chain tension bolts had to turn out but alas, they?re round?. Peter had the solution. A pair of pliers that he carries amongst the accounts, bills and Edgars catalogues that make up his cargo. He was pretty deft at this and soon we had the wheel all the way forward but no go, the chain was still too short. Screw that! I fetched a brand new 8-speed chain from my stock which will, at the rate 8-speed chains are consumed, will go to the grave with me. Believe it or not, but the dikwiel also used some strange dik chain standard and my puny 8-speed wouldn?t fit onto the wide sprocket teeth. Back to square one. Refit the naughty link and see if a little squeeze with the chain breaker can repair it. No way. The hole in the sideplate is bigger than the mushroom head of the chain pin. Worn way beyond belief. Defeat. I acknowledged that Peter was right and brought out two hammers. One large 2kg one and a ball peen hammer. Peter held the large one on one side of the chain and I hammered away at the pin, peening it?s mushroom head to ginormous proportions in order to make it stay where it was supposed to stay and not fall down the cavern of a sideplate hole. 10 Minutes of tapping away at the chain and it was as good as new?or at least, less screwed than before. Peter was happy, quickly inverted his bike, repacked his cargo and dashed out the gate with a ?thank you boss.? More than I get from the neighbourhood parents who?s kids? bikes I fix all the time. If you live in the area and received your Edgars account this month, thank me. Lesson learnt: don?t approach a Post Office dikwiel with poofter tools and solutions. Bring out the acetylene, hammers and bloudraad. Riaan Mancer learnt this lesson the hard way in Ethiopia, but in reverse. There he tried to have his fancy bike repaired by mechanics who have never seen a derailer. They called it an ?American Bike? and proceeded to fix it with blacksmith tools.
Jules Posted June 19, 2009 Posted June 19, 2009 Bliksem! If his bike is that worn, would a new chain even work?
Johan Bornman Posted June 19, 2009 Author Posted June 19, 2009 Good question. On an "American bike" it won't. The chain is tensioned on the return cycle with a mere spring, the one in the jockey itself. If the chain's holes don't engage exactly with the sprocket due to wear, the chain rides on top of the teeth and as you know, skips when you pedal. On a dikwiel or track bike, the chain is tensioned by moving the wheel backwards until it is tight. In this case, the teeth are forced into the chain and it actually meshes. It sings a bit like a cello with a woodpecker inside, as each tooth is forced into the chain, but the chain doesn't skip as it does on a derailer bike. I just wanted to fit a new chain and get him outta there. I wasn't interested in battling with a rubbish bike. I learnt a lesson about arrogance and impatience in this session.
Jules Posted June 19, 2009 Posted June 19, 2009 If his chain breaks again he should be able to get a new one at Linden Cycles for under R30. That's what I paid for one for my single speed. It's a big fat thing. Should fit on his cogs.
Hog_ Posted June 19, 2009 Posted June 19, 2009 Nice read! Sounds like how I used to 'fix' my bikes when I was a kid.
Gasping Posted June 19, 2009 Posted June 19, 2009 Champion story. That is the value of a non-expert - they don't know that it can't be done! My Oldman still gives me grief about using the wrong tool for the job. I just use what I have and fix what I can.
wackwack Posted June 19, 2009 Posted June 19, 2009 That is brilliant....JB you gonna go one way when you die - straight up!
wackwack Posted June 19, 2009 Posted June 19, 2009 Nice read! That's how I fix my toyota bakkie! And here i thought Toyota's don't break?
sss000sss Posted June 20, 2009 Posted June 20, 2009 He's obviously a firm believer of the motto: "If all else fails, use a BIGGER hammer"
GFishy Posted June 21, 2009 Posted June 21, 2009 JB, You should know by now, pictures with couch... Ok workshop chair should do in this case... Good on you for helping!!!
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