You want to keep it sealed from moisture. Banging it enough to crack off the topcoat and expose fibre is a bad thing. The fibers are not happy to be whacked at.I think I'd use some fiberglass repair epoxy. Check the radio control forums/web for stuff. They use a lot of the stuff, or just ask the LBS.
Guys, Thanks for all the info about crank arm removal, etc. I managed to pull my crank arms last night. I also took the chain rings apart and gave everything a good cleaning. Everything seemed to go back together OK. I also pulled my cassette off the rear wheel and cleaned everything back there. My cassette actually went from black to silver! The bike looks brand-new. Quick question. The cassette lock ring was hand-tight. That's not right, right? Next up, chain replacement. I've done a few motorcycle chains and I have a motorcycle chain break and rivet tool. Will that work on a bicycle chain?
There should be a torque spec right there on the lockring itself. All it does is hold the cassette on the freehub body, so it doesn't need a ton of torque. Doubt it but give it a shot. FWI've seen the pins on a MC chain are much bigger. I know the side plates are farther apart. Same idea applies tho. Quick question: why do you think you need a chain tool? M
A couple quick group-ride etiquette questions for you guys. I do a Saturday morning group ride a few times a month. Some stuff happens that kinda makes me wonder "wtf?" First, we'll be cruising along in a line. The concept seems pretty simple to me. The lead guy has to work pretty hard, but everyone else gets sucked along, as long as we stay in line. Inevitably some douchebag pops out of line and rides about five feet to one side or the other. Sometimes for no reason at all, sometimes so he can drift around and flirt with the females. It kinda screws the guy behind him. It seems kinda unsat to me, but I don't know. Maybe that's just the way things work on a ride like that. What do you guys think? Next, I feel an obligation to take my turn at the front. I'm not fast, but I work hard and do the best I can when I'm up there. Several people in the group seem to feel no similar obligation. Inevitably they get almost to the front, then allow themselves to be shuffled back when the group stops for a light or a stop sign. I don't get it. It doesn't seem fair to everyone else in that group. There are plenty of slower groups on the ride. Why not just ride with them so they can contribute? Also, typically we have groups of 20-ish riders. If someone gets a flat the entire group stops and mills about in the road for ten minutes while one or two guys work on the bike. Is that standard? It seems to me it would be better to have 3-4 guys stay back to help fix the bike and pull to the next stop. Everyone else can continue. Would that violate some unwritten code?
Idk, I figured I needed one. Can you do it with standard hand tools? I have a dremel, so I can get the old one off easy enough.
Measure first. Break out a ruler and find the center of one pin. Measure 12" out and see where the center of that pin falls. If its 12" to 12 1/8" you're OK. 12 1/8" or longer? Replace. Plan on replacing your cassette if you've let your chain get beyond 1/8" stretch Oh, and buy a chain tool. If you're mtn biking you WILL need one at some point or another. Sticks have this way of jumping up into your derailleurs... DAMHIK If you're wrenching at home, you'll need one to size your new chain(s) M
As long as the dood in question doesn't leave a hole in the group, let him. No skin off your teeth. If he does leave a hole in the group, fill it then don't let him back in. Make him go to the back. People ride for different reasons. Some want the workout. Some want to toodle along in the group. There's no 'obligation' to pull. Ever. **Unless** its agreed on beforehand. Again: don't let it bother you. Its not worth the aggravation. If you're getting the ride you want, let them get in the ride they want. Your job, when you get to the front, is to keep the group rolling at the pace it was going before you got it there. No more. Always remember: constant EFFORT not constant speed. The unwritten code for this ride is 'everyone stops.' No, its not smart to have everyone standing around but on the other hand, its nice to not have to chase back on. BTDT both ways. All in all, ya have what sounds like a decent bunch with a few peculiar personalities. Enjoy! M
So today is/was ride your bicycle to work day? I didn't. I did stream my lucky NPR station on my motorcycle commute. Grant was on a semi rant about wearing regular clothes to ride a bicycle to work, rather than look like a racer. In my experience thata only works in very limited instances. My commuting experiences are limited. For a while in college I could commute by bicycle. I used a Long-ish wheelbased French bike with a rear rack and front handlebar bag. I'd load that thing with about 40 pounds of engineering books and walking around clothes. The distance was 26 miles. each way. From South of Morrison Colorado into Downtown Denver. After graduation I got really lucky and landed a job 6 miles from my house. The bad news was there was not a real good route way there. Commuting in Commuter level traffic with zero shoulder on two lane roads. I found a way. Over the 8 years I worked there the commute got better to the point I had bike path nearly from my driveway to my office door. I never once wore regular clothes for any of those commutes. Never. Not once. When I had to wear a suit and tie, those outfit came along folded into waterproof bags. In my world there is rain, snow, dirt and junk getting thrown up from the road and falling off passing cars and trucks. I dressed like a bike geek. There are several different bike geek costumes. One is the racer, another is the whole grain vegan world traveler. I usually fell someplace inbetween. I've never found any rain gear that kept me dry without becoming a sauna within a few minutes. I'm not completely convinced that all modern materials and gear are required to commute by bicycle and for those lucky few who have a flat five mile commute over slow streets with wide bike lanes, (well maintained white picket fences and lounging collies optional) you probably can get away with a ride to work. If I lived within five miles of my work I'd walk. This being Orange County California that is challenge enough given we don't seem to build sidewalks. Getting to my office by bicycle would require quite the trundle for me now. it is 28 miles. I have to transport a notebook computer. This is not some miracle light and tidy Macbook thing. This is an honest to goodness fat-daddy oinking pig of a semi portable PC. Schleping this thing through a few years of airports I've come to regard these things as a bane more than a tool, same goes for much of the software that bloats it's ever-expanding hard drive. And the areas that one passes through are not the sort of place you really want to be in the dark. Wee hours of the morning is likely better for safety than just after sunset. The bad guys seem to sleep in.:huh So, I'm exercising my "I'm not riding my damned ricky-racer-bike to work Day." And so ends my rant. Man, I hope my back is better soon. I swear I've caught myself hanging clothes on my bicycle's handlebars.
You're not doing it right. Road etiquette in Florida demands that when one rider has to stop to fix his bike, he needs to do it in the middle of the road. The rest of the group should stand around him blocking BOTH lanes so that no one coming from either direction can get around them. That's how we do it around here.
Just finished replacing my front and rear shift cables and housing, adjusted the rear caliper mount.... shifts SMOOVE AS BUTTER and ROLLS ON AND ON!! Now I wanna go find some dirt!!!!
for personal occasional use, the simplest cheap bike chain tool work just fine... I use one of these...
My cheap xlc multi-tool has a chain breaker, you should probably carry a multi-tool anyway... http://www.amazon.com/XLC-19-Piece-...sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1337361192&sr=1-10 If you can break to old one the new one should come with a quick link, no tools required.
Since the subject of chain tools came up, how do you break the SRAM chains with the sliding clip master link?
Grab at either side and push toward the center. Or, use needlenosed pliers to press the two rollers toward the center. After the first time it is easier. I bet there is a special tool someplace. <iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/VzBXHBtxRrM" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
OK, my bike has one of those, or something similar. So getting the old chain of won't be a problem. if I buy a new one of the same brand, do I still need a chain tool? I'm thinking "yes" because I need to shorten the chain to fit. Right?
I bike commuted for about 25 years and am fortunate that the area I live in is relatively bike-friendly. I mostly work from home these days, so not so much bike commuting but I still use the bike to get around and run errands, and just for recreation. But I never had the bike-racer look 'cuz my bikes have always had panniers. Now, with my recumbent, I'm even more geekier-looking than before - --but way more comfortable than the racers!
