the 'there's no such thing as a stupid question' bike maintenance thread

magicbastarder

i should ban you for posting that horror.

nicksnikita

hellish Type 17

magicbastarder

interesting to note that the two sprockets most badly worn on that cassette seem to be the largest and the smallest. no shades of grey for that cyclist.

CramCycle

A liberal dose of GT85 and you'll get a few more miles out of those cassettes :pac:

cletus

CramCycle wrote: »

A liberal dose of GT85 and you'll get a few more miles out of those cassettes :pac:

That's a bit posh, isn't it? WD40 all the way.

54and56

Once again testing the limit of the thread heading.

Wanting to be a bit more responsible in maintaining my bike I invested in a Decathlon Torque wrench as I don't want to over tighten anything on the bike given I have a tendency to do so.

Doing my monthly wash and lube etc yesterday I decided to use my nice shiny new torque wrench to make sure the wheels were tightened on to 10nm and no more as I'd had the bike in the LBS for new disc rotors recently.

It was a bit of a fiddle to get the bit into the receiving hole (I know this isn't the right terminology ) and the bit seemed to slip somewhat. I eventually got a good purchase and tightened to 10nm per the photo below but not without creating some scuff marks from the slippage and it dawned on my last night that maybe the allen bits which came with the Decathlon torque wrench which are all marked "H3", "H4" etc may not be the same (metric?) standard used by Trek on my Domane hence the difficulty and slippage etc.

My questions to you fine people is what if any damage may I have done if I have in fact used incorrect allen bits and what torque wrench and bits should I be using? Can I get new metric bits for the Decathlon wrench or do I need a new wrench and bit set?

So embarrassing that I don't know this basic stuff

Type 17

H3, H4 are metric - H4 refers to Hex, 4mm (Hex is the term used, as Allen is (was?) a trademark of Allen Corporation).

Trek's through axles are 5 or 6 mm Allen (H5 or H6).

Check and see if there is any undamaged hex-section further in (the through-axles are hollow, but the hex goes in deeper than you might normally expect). If so, use a regular (L-shaped) Allen key to turn on the remaining good section (probably not reachable with a regular-length bit).
If not, it's probably time to shell out for replacements from Trek (your Trek dealer can get them easily enough, if you quote your frame number).
If you can't remove the damaged ones, hammer in an oversized Torx bit to create new splines in the aluminium and remove them (but this isn't a long-term solution).

CramCycle

Some of the thru axles have a little bit of a lip you have to push past before turning, I ruined my front one the same way as you did. Make sure its is fully in the next time, if its easy to take off, you will be fine, if it starts slipping, the damage is done, once you get it off, get a new thru axle.

54and56

Type 17 wrote: »

H3, H4 are metric - H4 refers to Hex, 4mm (Hex is the term used, as Allen is (was?) a trademark of Allen Corporation).

Trek's through axles are 5 or 6 mm Allen (H5 or H6).

Check and see if there is any undamaged hex-section further in (the through-axles are hollow, but the hex goes in deeper than you might normally expect). If so, use a regular (L-shaped) Allen key to turn on the remaining good section (probably not reachable with a regular-length bit).
If not, it's probably time to shell out for replacements from Trek (your Trek dealer can get them easily enough, if you quote your frame number).
If you can't remove the damaged ones, hammer in an oversized Torx bit to create new splines in the aluminium and remove them (but this isn't a long-term solution).

Thanks for the education Type 17. I think the damage is just to the very exterior as when I got the H6 (I think it was the H6 not the H5) in and properly seated it loosened and tightened without any wiggle or slippage. It was when I was initially trying it that I think I wasn't past the exterior "gate" for want of a better term that I experienced the slippage and caused the scuffing.

54and56

CramCycle wrote: »

Some of the thru axles have a little bit of a lip you have to push past before turning, I ruined my front one the same way as you did. Make sure its is fully in the next time, if its easy to take off, you will be fine, if it starts slipping, the damage is done, once you get it off, get a new thru axle.

Yes, this explains exactly the issue I had. In not wanting to be my usual forceful self and cause damage I ended up being a bit too hesitant and tried tightening without pushing past the lip hence the slippage and scuffing as it didn't have sufficient purchase.

Apart from the aesthetic damage I think (hope) the interior of the thru axle isn't damaged and tightens and loosens as it should but I'll definitely keep an eye on it.

Tanks again.

Would have been useful to find this video before I went at the wheels with my torque wrench!

This thread is a life (if not self inflicted embarrassment) saver!!

I have a question I didn't want to start a new thread for it so maybe it belongs here.

After going for a ride outside for once I realised how terrible some of our country roads are and definitely need to lower my tyre pressures so I was thinking of getting a digital tyre pressure gauge. But having a look on Amazon I saw for the same price I could get a electronic tyre inflator that will inflate tyres to a selected PSI. Does anyone have any recommendations for one and are they generally safe to use on bike road bike inner tubes?

This is what I'm on about.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08738QTGK/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_glt_fabc_JQ7G1X23GH7G112BXXNY

magicbastarder

what sort of pump do you have? a decent track pump will have a pressure gauge.

magicbastarder

magicbastarder wrote: »

what sort of pump do you have? a decent track pump will have a pressure gauge.

I have a Topeak joe blow 2, but it is a few years old plus I have always been doubtful of the accuracy of analogue gauges especially in fairly low cost consumer products.

cletus

What pressure are you running at the moment, and what are you hoping to run?

I'd imagine the pump you have would be accurate enough

magicbastarder

there's no reason to believe a digital gauge is any more accurate than an analogue one, i'd have thought. it's just a different method of displaying the figure.

Type 17

The best method for assessing a gauge you own is to pump a tyre to a given pressure and then check it with as many other pumps/gauges as you can access (friends, relatives, LBS, etc) to compare.

Bear in mind that you will lose at least 2-4PSI each time you fit/remove the pump-head or gauge, so take that into account.

Once you've seen that your own gauge isn't an outlier in the accuracy stakes, you can trust it (or if it is, you'll know whether it reads high or low, and will be able to choose a reading to aim for).

On Friday I'm taking delivery of a power metre but in order for it to work on the bike I have to say goodbye to my Shimano Ultegra Crank arms and attached spider.

Was just wondering if anybody here would like them all I ask is that you pay the cost of shipping.

WOT

[Deleted User] wrote: »

On Friday I'm taking delivery of a power metre but in order for it to work on the bike I have to say goodbye to my Shimano Ultegra Crank arms and attached spider.

Was just wondering if anybody here would like them all I ask is that you pay the cost of shipping.

Definitely interested

cletus

If WOT falls through, I'll take next in line, please

Thanks I'll give you an update on Saturday once I have the new power meter and cranks installed.

Wouldn't suppose either of you would like a fake but really good quality and as far as I can tell indistinguishable visually from the real thing Specialized romin evo saddle in white? I'll be honest I've never ridden on it but the company I ordered it from on AliExpress had great reviews.

Again not looking to profit just the cost of shipping.

cletus

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Thanks I'll give you an update on Saturday once I have the new power meter and cranks installed.

Wouldn't suppose either of you would like a fake but really good quality and as far as I can tell indistinguishable visually from the real thing Specialized romin evo saddle in white? I'll be honest I've never ridden on it but the company I ordered it from on AliExpress had great reviews.

Again not looking to profit just the cost of shipping.

You had me until white

Thanks for the offer, though

WOT

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Thanks I'll give you an update on Saturday once I have the new power meter and cranks installed.

Wouldn't suppose either of you would like a fake but really good quality and as far as I can tell indistinguishable visually from the real thing Specialized romin evo saddle in white? I'll be honest I've never ridden on it but the company I ordered it from on AliExpress had great reviews.

Again not looking to profit just the cost of shipping.

See how you go with the new tech. Let me know the postage cost for both and how I can get it to you PayPal, revolut, carrier pigeon etc.

I’ll pass the saddle on again if it doesn’t suit my upcoming shopping cart build.

cletus

I guess that means WOT hasn't fallen through...

MadYaker

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Thanks I'll give you an update on Saturday once I have the new power meter and cranks installed.

Wouldn't suppose either of you would like a fake but really good quality and as far as I can tell indistinguishable visually from the real thing Specialized romin evo saddle in white? I'll be honest I've never ridden on it but the company I ordered it from on AliExpress had great reviews.

Again not looking to profit just the cost of shipping.

I’d take that, pay you postage and make a €20 donation to a charity of your choice.

Nialler73

20210512_230108.jpgHi. 1st time changing disc brake pads on a road bike. Got them on fine with the bolt tightened but the small clip that was on with the previous pair won't go back on. Should I be concerned?

magicbastarder

should be very easy to attach that - in what way is it failing to go on?
the large loop at the end is to facilitate removal/reattachment - it's not where the clip is actually meant to grip the bolt, it's the centre of the clip which does that.

Nialler73

Ok, I was trying to connect it via the loop. I'll give that a blast. As an aside, are the 2 silver clips that came in the packet replacements for this clip also?

Nialler73

Clip attached, ta very much for the tip.

Type 17

Nialler73 wrote: »

...As an aside, are the 2 silver clips that came in the packet replacements for this clip also?

If your brake callipers hold the pads with a screw and safety clip, then you should use that system.
Some disc brake systems use split-pins (pic below), which work fine, but they shouldn't be re-used, hence the fresh pads come with new ones, but it sounds like you don't need them.

darragh o meara

Changed the rear derailleur and ended up with one with a longer cage, as a result it’s almost impossible to get up to the biggest cog on the front and rear at the same time. I’ve bought a new chain and usually size it by wrapping around both large cogs and adding 2 links.

Should I add more for a longer cage?