What did you do with your bike(s) today?

[CmdrBiggles]

Concentric Cycling over in Perth has saved my sanity with their novel (and very sturdy!) 3D-printed D-profile seat post bracket.
Top marks too for the added nice touch of the Tiffany box-like presentation!



Work finished for the week, tomorrow I can finally ride!!

[CmdrBiggles]

Pic is very remeniscent of stock touring bike derailleurs through the 1980s to early 1990s, this one joining the familiar ranks of other little chestnuts in history like the Huret Duopar and Campagnolo Rally. This one though looks like it has copped a flogging falling over diddly-squat. Nothing wet sandpaper and a bit of elbow grease can't fix, admirably well too, as I had a side hustle repairing scrapes and scratches like this (in addition to paint filleting of embossed names like DuraAce).

[Retrobyte]

New bar tape for the commuter

[warthog1]

I had a message for a free service for my new Reacto the other week. I have been running the WR50s with 30mm tyres in it, so put the Reynolds AR60 wheels it came with, back in. They have 28mm tubeless tyres (replacing the tubed 25mm it came with) on at 21mm int width. Been running them at 70psi and it is more than firm enough.
Anyway I got to thinking what is a free service going to involve anyway. Prob not much I decided. So I rang the bike shop.
Yep check the di2 tuning, brake pads, caliper alignment and other minor bits and bobs. I have to align the front caliper when I swap wheels anyway and look at the pads when I do so. Haven't dropped or knocked it so the derailleur hanger is fine and I need to tune the di2 when I swap wheels.
No service needed.
Back in with the WR50s that are 25mm int and hookless. I love the ride at 60 psi and they are just as fast as the AR60s it seems to me, perhaps even a touch faster. That Ztto cassette on there is shifting pretty damn well too.

[elantra]

Pic is very remeniscent of stock touring bike derailleurs through the 1980s to early 1990s, this one joining the familiar ranks of other little chestnuts in history like the Huret Duopar and Campagnolo Rally. This one though looks like it has copped a flogging falling over diddly-squat. Nothing wet sandpaper and a bit of elbow grease can't fix, admirably well too, as I had a side hustle repairing scrapes and scratches like this (in addition to paint filleting of embossed names like DuraAce).

Yes - the Suntour Cyclone derailleur copped a nasty case of road rash about a decade ago.
While riding in the rain negotiating a turn in suburban Brisbane.
But does not affect its function.

But it doesn’t play well with the shifters that I installed on this bike. ( 1992 Suntour Command on friction setting)
Gear changing has been a bit ordinary and the derailleur cage very slighted impinges upon the drive side spokes in low gear.
Not catastrophic but is rather less than ideal.

So I swapped it with another rear derailleur to see if that was going to be better.

Which it is -the gear changing is easier and the derailleur cage does not hit any spokes.



As you can see it is a Shimano 105, probably just a bit more recent than the Suntour Cyclone.
Obviously to not touch any spokes the derailleur cage is very slightly narrower.
And I think it shifts a little better because the 105 derailleur main return spring is a bit less strong in its pull back to the lateral (high gear) limit.
There was too much resistance in changing down to a lower gear (bigger cog) with the Suntour derailleur.

[warthog1]

^^Looking at that photo I was shocked by the lack of range!

Can you not put a cassette on with some larger (ie lower) gears?

[CmdrBiggles]

^^Looking at that photo I was shocked by the lack of range!

Can you not put a cassette on with some larger (ie lower) gears?

And the pic before it...
Nifty for speed demons (and no doubt appreciated by weight-weanies), but cruel for getting up and over them thar hills 'round Sedgwick and Mandurang, where a 22T to 24T low would come in handy (I win! I have a 36T low! )

[elantra]

^^Looking at that photo I was shocked by the lack of range!

Can you not put a cassette on with some larger (ie lower) gears?

Yes I could get bigger cogs but prob not with a cassette hub !

It’s a 1970’s frame so it is (only) 120mm between the frame rear dropouts. So any Cassette hub after 1991 won’t fit.
Cassette hubs did exist in the 1980’s but weren’t common and were prob all 126 mm so again would be a struggle to make fit.

Realistically the only practical option here is a freewheel hub.
6 and 7sp freewheels are still available but some of the more modern ones are of fairly low quality and again would be all sorts of dramas to fudge them onto an old 120 or 126 mm width hub.

So what I did here is to put an early 1980’s Suntour “narrow 6-sp” freewheel onto an early 1980’s Campagnolo wheel (hub width 126mm) and just reset the cones / spacers / locknuts a small amount to reduce it to 120mm - approximately !

This way the rim is centred “well enough” and there is “just enough” clearance to fit the Suntour freewheel without the chain rubbing on the dropout/ seat stay.

This bike is “perfect” for the local Railtrail.
The Railtrail is about 25 km each way and has no “significant” gradients. And a “fairly smooth” surface - mostly good quality gravel, but some asphalt and some “contamination” from bits of vegetation and stones thrown up courtesy of the Scrub Turkeys. (Magpies are not a problem here)

The small “issue” with riding on the Railtrail is that after moderate rainfall the fine gravel particles tend to coat the bicycle lower frame and related components, which can be a bit of a problem.
But this old bike with 1x6 drivetrain is very very easy to clean all the grit off.
Happiness is a bike that is nice to ride and easy to clean after a wet ride.
Cheers !

[warthog1]

Well there you go. All above my bike knowledge. I am clueless on the older stuff.
Sounds like it is good for the job.

[foo on patrol]

Went down to the shed to make sure that the batteries were charged on my Wheeler and was going to go for a ride (@3.45am) and found that both needed charging with my Raveman full fully flat. . I then decided to look at my seat adjustment with a spirit level and found that it needed lifting by 8mm at the front. Got that sorted and decided to look at my Scott and Azzurri with the same seats and have decovered the same problems, so I'm in the process of readjusting those as well and will probably not get the early ride that I wnted to do in because I will have died in the arse by the time I sort everything again, due to being out of bed since 1.30am.

I'm now thinking how the hell I got the seats so wrong and have settled on not using a flat board on top of the seat and then placing the spirit level on the board instead of just the seat.

Foo

[Arbuckle23]

Fitted new bar tape.
I job I stress about stuffing up as I do it.
Don't do it enough to get good at it.

[DavidS]

Washed the Auren, and cleaned the disk brake pistons as I reckon the front brakes were rubbing. I think it is better now. Next time I ride I'll find out. Also raised the seat a few mm as I reckon it has dropped in 5,000Kms which I recently passed.

DS

[CmdrBiggles]

Two Vittoria Corsa Pro [700c * 26] going on the TCR tomorrow morning. This set is 2mm less in width - - 'just for funsy! - - than the 28mm dimple-tread CADEX CLASSIC tyres they replace. They' ll be run at 70F/75R.
*
https://ccache.cc/products/vittoria-cor ... 3386937560
*
Waiting on AusPost to drop Zefal ORANGE sealant, likely tomorrow — along with my coloured triangles SS road jersey from OCG — with thanks to @warthog1 for recently bringing up mention of Online Cycling Gear that had me spending waaaay too much time looking at waaaay too much cycling get-up!

https://onlinecyclinggear.com.au/produc ... 1235220567
(purple variant)

[warthog1]

Two Vittoria Corsa Pro [700c * 26] going on the TCR tomorrow morning. This set is 2mm less in width - - 'just for funsy! - - than the 28mm dimple-tread CADEX CLASSIC tyres they replace. They' ll be run at 70F/75R.

https://ccache.cc/products/vittoria-cor ... 3386937560

Waiting on AusPost to drop Zefal ORANGE sealant, likely tomorrow.

I would assume your TCR has hookless wheels?
Vittoria Corsa Pro do not appear listed as compliant in a 26, but a 28 is;
https://www.giant-bicycles.com/au/hookless-technology

[CmdrBiggles]

I'm wondering where cacche got their "fit ok" from??
I will take the (unopened) 26 tyres to cacche in Melbourne tomorrow to check this out; it was confirmed to me by email that 26 would be compatible. If that link to the chart is GIANT's own, as I think no doubt it is, then something has gone akimbo and needs checking!

[warthog1]

I'm wondering where cacche got their "fit ok" from??
I will take the (unopened) 26 tyres to cacche in Melbourne tomorrow to check this out; it was confirmed to me by email that 26 would be compatible. If that link to the chart is GIANT's own, as I think no doubt it is, then something has gone akimbo and needs checking!

I have not been in to a store but they have been very helpful online. Should be no probs to get it sorted if that link is current.
I am a fan of wider tyres so personally would prefer the 28s. Lower pressure and smoother ride primarily. I am heavier though.
Hopefully you get it sorted either way anyway.

[CmdrBiggles]

No problems anticipated with cacche. I have no issue staying with 28, which looks now to be the case.

I thought I'd give the 26ers a whirl. Backstory is that fourteen or so years ago I put on Vredestein clinchers — frail, flimsy, all of 19mm/10mm tread (!) and had so many falls (even a very light spray of dirt or sand on the road would bring me down!), so many punctures and grumbles and hissy fits that it turned me off road cycling from 2011 (promptly sold the bike when I returned home after I had looped around Australia in my car with 'van attached for 8 months!) and that is where the old 'road cycling' story left off!

Shopping can be a problem for me: once I get into a 'candy store' — aka a bike shop, I can't help myself. I don't have a wife to pull me back by the mullet behind!

[warthog1]

Hookless is a source of consternation for some cyclists. Giant wheels are pretty good in their hookless tyre retention standards I believe.
Nevertheless it pays to be aware of pressure and which tyre is compliant just to be safe as there is no hook grabbing the bead and retaining the tyre. They are like car wheels in that respect.
The ETRTO max for hookless is 5 bar or 72.5 psi. I believe you can go higher with cadex tyres on Giant rims but haven't investigated.
72.5 psi in a 28 at your weight will be heaps.
My hookless are a bit wider at 25mm int width. I am 76kg and running 30s at 60 psi. Could easily go a bit lower.

[WyvernRH]

Hookless is a source of consternation for some cyclists. Giant wheels are pretty good in their hookless tyre retention standards I believe.
Nevertheless it pays to be aware of pressure and which tyre is compliant just to be safe as there is no hook grabbing the bead and retaining the tyre. They are like car wheels in that respect.
The ETRTO max for hookless is 5 bar or 72.5 psi. I believe you can go higher with cadex tyres on Giant rims but haven't investigated.
72.5 psi in a 28 at your weight will be heaps.
My hookless are a bit wider at 25mm int width. I am 76kg and running 30s at 60 psi. Could easily go a bit lower.

OK, have to admit I'm not bothering to keep up with the latest trends so much these days but 'hookless' rims? Are we reverting back to the early 1970's here? And why? Is this something to do with the tubeless craze?

Richard

[warthog1]

Two Vittoria Corsa Pro [700c * 26] going on the TCR tomorrow morning. This set is 2mm less in width - - 'just for funsy! - - than the 28mm dimple-tread CADEX CLASSIC tyres they replace. They' ll be run at 70F/75R.
*
https://ccache.cc/products/vittoria-cor ... 3386937560
*
Waiting on AusPost to drop Zefal ORANGE sealant, likely tomorrow — along with my coloured triangles SS road jersey from OCG — with thanks to @warthog1 for recently bringing up mention of Online Cycling Gear that had me spending waaaay too much time looking at waaaay too much cycling get-up!

https://onlinecyclinggear.com.au/produc ... 1235220567
(purple variant)

Those 26mm are not hookless compatible so no go
https://int.vittoria.com/products/corsa ... 6854382909

[warthog1]

OK, have to admit I'm not bothering to keep up with the latest trends so much these days but 'hookless' rims? Are we reverting back to the early 1970's here? And why? Is this something to do with the tubeless craze?

Richard

Yes tubeless specific.
They state lighter rims with a stronger rim by removing the hook.
Largely it is easier to manufacture CF rims hookless I believe is the real reason.
Plenty don't like them and there have been hookless failures where the tyre has unseated and deflated.
Zipp and Enve make them and Le Tour this year was won on hookless tubeless.
You need to be aware of tyre compliance and max pressure. Generally 5bar as per ETRTO.
Go wide and not a problem.
If you are running older wheels and rim brakes no need to worry about it most likely.

[CmdrBiggles]

26ers returned, credited.
700 * 28 Corsa Pro OOS Melb., so coming from Marrickville.

[warthog1]

Nice.
Important to make sure any tyres in future are hookless compatible.

[CmdrBiggles]

Nice.
Important to make sure any tyres in future are hookless compatible.

After some consultation, to-and-fro, a late change / swapped out

Goodyear Eagle F1 SuperSport R tubeless 700 * 28c [255gm]

Normally not recommended for heavier riders, but given my veritable "mosquito weight" they will be a 'magic carpet'.
Hookless compat. checked with Marrickville ccache.

[find_bruce]

Stripped the busted frame so it can get recycled tomorrow