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

Wildly Boaring

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118519631#Comment_118519631

We call that "Gentle persuasion" around here

54and56

Has anyone got a left Shimano shifter model ST-R7020 or ST-R8020 they'd sell me? Mine took the brunt of a sudden and unpleasant coming together with a Land Rover drivers door and is leaking hydraulic oil so needs replacing (LBS can't repair) but supplier lead times are nuts so scrambling round trying to locate one.

magicbastarder

how's the hand that was holding it?

54and56

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118525260#Comment_118525260

For an old fart I managed to bale right fairly sharpish but ended up landing awkwardly on the handlebar and bending it beyond repair which didn't do my hip any favours but my hands were fine. It was possibly me landing on the handlebar which damaged the shifter. I got the handlebar replaced and but didn't spot the damage to the shifter until a few weeks later when I could feel the lever was travelling way too far before biting the brake so LBS checked it out and topped up the hydraulic oil etc but the lever travel continued to grow and the leaking oil started presenting under the hood. The conclusion is there must be a hairline or other type of fracture in the body of the shifter or perhaps a component has cracked or failed somehow.

Bottom line is the shifter needs to be replaced but no one seems to have them in stock and the "hoped for" lead time is 3-4 months minimum 😥

Russman

Got a wheel question (apologies if its not the correct thread).

Anyway I have a spare wheel that I've been using on the turbo trainer in the winter, so its an easy and quick swap out. Its a quick release as the bike is/was the same. However I've changed bike and the new one is thru axle. Is it possible to convert this spare wheel with a quick release skewer into one that would fit on my new bike with thru axles ? Would a good bike shop do it ? Also, the new bike is disc brake, could I still run this wheel which is non-disc on the trainer if I got a long enough thru axle, or am I just better off getting whole new "spare" wheel with disc setup ?

Thanks

cletus

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118526079#Comment_118526079

There are lots of thru axle adaptors on the market, just google thu axle adaptor

Im not sure about the brake question. Theoretically you could, I suppose, as you dont have to brake (I assume) on the trainer. If you have haydraulic brakes, make sure to put a spacer in the caliper to prevent you inadvertantly pressing the brake lever and poppint the piston out

CantGetNoSleep

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118524899#Comment_118524899

R7020 is in stock on Bike Components but not the best price going (180 or so plus delivery).

I got a pair on Bike24 for 270 ish around Christmas

CantGetNoSleep

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118526079#Comment_118526079

New spare wheel most likely - some wheels have end caps where you can swap from QR to thru axle, but this is more the case for disc wheels. If it is an older rim brake wheel then very likely it will only work on QR

54and56

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118526357#Comment_118526357

Nice one, thanks.

Russman

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118526289#Comment_118526289

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118526496#Comment_118526496

Cheers guys, thanks for that. Will let a shop have a look at it I guess and see what's doable (or not !)

Weepsie

Can anyone recommend a jabsaw/padsaw/keyhole saw for cutting out a seatpost. I don't have anything to hand that is small enough to hack one together it seems.

I'm this close to going nuclear with caustic soda.

cletus

The problem with most of those types of saw is that they're designed for cutting timber or plasterboard or similar.

Having said that, Stanley do the saw below with a steel cutting blade.

If it was me, I'd use a recip saw with a steel blade

https://www.handyhardware.ie/Stanley-FatMax-Multi-Saw-Wood-Metal-Blades_p_52439.html?gclid=Cj0KCQiAosmPBhCPARIsAHOen-PDsO4S3-Js8Xkea4jVCiwUzE_fzuqio4NOkRrmSq5NkpK_XpFJEoQaAhoZEALw_wcB

magicbastarder

is it mechanically or chemically seized?

i.e. was it like that when you got it, and could it be that a previous owner had simply tightened the clamp too tight?

Weepsie

Like that since I owned it. I'm pretty sure it's rusted in / aluminium oxide.

Now I don't have a vice to really give it my best shot, nor a pipe wrench, but no amount of Plus GAs, or various types of freezing spray and heat guns (and coke, + about 10 other penetrant sprays) have made so much as a dent. I've tolerated it as it's just about right for me with a particular saddle, however, I'm looking to change saddles as I think i need wider cut outs in them all.

Weepsie

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118539467#Comment_118539467

I've also found this, being longer might be better. though no guarantee it'll work. If I was in the UK id be sending it the seatpost man and be done with it, but there's noone with a seatpost puller contraption here that I can find.

https://ie.rs-online.com/web/p/hand-saws/0609304

cletus

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118539708#Comment_118539708

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gAXL2FSY_A

Weepsie

I have close to zero engineering expertise nor the tools to make it as simple as it looks and all. Rediscovery centre in Ballymun were planning on making one, but they still have not

magicbastarder

know anyone with a walk in blast freezer you could use to try thermal shock?

cletus

I'll offer use of my bench vice again, but I'm pretty sure you're not close by. I can also offer a recip saw

secman

I sold on a caad 9 with a seized seatpost having tried, freezing, hot, coke, wd40, anti seize stuff. The chap who bought it told me about his plan to remove it. Plan was to cut it as tight to frame as he could. He then planned on shaving it out with a tool he had recently purchased. He had done a few before and was relishing the challenge, the tool was used on a drill and it had a few settings on it to eventually shave it all out without damaging the frame.

cletus

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118540281#Comment_118540281

Do you know what the tool was called?

CianRyan

Sounds like a cylinder bore tool, would want to be very narrow though.

CianRyan

Could work with a bit of time.

https://www.micksgarage.com/d/hones/products/3358679/cylinder-hone-51mm-177mm?loc=ie&gclid=Cj0KCQiAosmPBhCPARIsAHOen-O5Cs7J7tXO8aJQ92tcJ8rtps3ErfAj257S9UXJarmZVkn3yF4VGG8aAnn0EALw_wcB

cletus

That popped into my head all right, Cian, but the wall thickness of a seat post must be 2.5mm. That'd be a fair amount of honing

CianRyan

I don't fancy it at all but if I had a clamp and a pillar drill, I'd press go and let at it while I do something else.

Elvis Hammond

Would it not just be a reamer of some kind?

Weepsie

I know another boardsie has used a reamer. I don't expect me to ever need some of the tools I was recommened for the job more than once, so just havn't bought them.

Caustic soda was the last option, as I can live with the paint being redone as it could do with it anyway. Hacksaw and jabsaw if I thought it would definitely work would be my preferred option.

cletus

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118541242#Comment_118541242

Possibly, but reamers are a set diameter, so to go through 2.5 mm, you'd want a few of them.

Normally if you were using a reamer, you'd have drilled the hole to the nominal size, and then you'd run the reamer through it to get an accurate diameter bore. I wouldn't run a 10mm reamer, say, in and 8 mm hole

cletus

Actually, to follow on from Elvis' suggestion, here's a hand reamer that's adjustable up to 33mm or so.

It could feasibly be chucked in a drill, if you were so inclined

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07DR2TYPC/ref%3Dcm_sw_r_apan_glt_i_YPCVMSGH48AF779M2XBS?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

CianRyan

Wouldn't be the first time I've put cutting hand tools on a power tool, could well work.