Annual Service

Hmmm. Not done much of that, to be honest. I got an initial check-up/service done after 100 miles. Since then I've given it the occasional superficial clean and lubricate the chain, mechs, brakes, etc. I changed both the tyres in the spring because the original ones had got cut to shreds and I've had to deal with one or two punctures, but that's about it. I haven't really had to fiddle with anything else because it all works fine most of the time (although the chain has an annoying habit of coming off if I sprint hard down a hill in top gear).

Actually, now I think about it, it's probably worth getting someone to check it over anyway. It must have taken a bit of a pounding when I had that crash a couple of months ago. Also, it was on a bracket on some stairs earlier in the year - the bracket fell out of the wall while I was at work and the bike somersaulted down the stairs. Also, I managed to bash the right brake/gear hood into a brick wall while trying to squeeze past a parked car.

People are very cagey about carbon bikes getting damaged, and although it's true that when the frame is stressed in ways for which it's not designed, it can be damaged leading to catastrophic failure at a later date, it's also true that they're a LOT hardier than people assume and a few jolts and bang probably won't cause anything more than superficial scrapes.

Having said that, it is worth telling the mechanic about your crashes and see what he says. It's harder to give carbon an integrity check than metal but I understand it can be done.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4072/4399345110_eaa5db8e71.jpg

so i was gonna take this to a frame builder to have the dropout bent (it's about 5mm too far open) but dude said he wasn't gonna use a jig and was likely just going to use a c-clamp or w/e. so i figured i'd do it myself.

however: i tried using vise-grips but can't get any kind of purchase---what to do, iltrmbxors?

halp

Err ahh hmmm. What about a 2 x 4 brace held together by C-clamps so that it stays straight, and some body weight?

I don't know, that's awfully DIY and I don't know how likely to go horribly wrong. It's just the first thing that occurred to me.

gbx, I'm curious to see how this goes. I would like to work on making a fixie of my old Flandria, but one of the rear drop-outs is bent, causing the wheel to sit off kilter, which can be offset by jury rigging the hub placement (but this puts extra strain on the wheel). The shop techs I've asked about it don't seem to want to touch it (for liability reasons, I suppose), but have recommended that I do it myself with VGs. I'm nervous about doing so, for obv reasons, but at the same time, I'd like to try to remedy the situation before I make any big plans for the frame.

This is some lamo shit, but illustrates a sort of jig I was thinking of.

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e66/LimitedLiabilityGirl/1853_001.jpg

hmmmmmm

I guess with the hanger on the bottom you'd actually have to add that distance to measurement A also but ymmv. You can see what I was getting at.

you want the tool that is a bar with a bolt at 90 deg that screws into your derailler hanger. you can manipulate the dropout pretty much as you wish with it. no idea who makes this tool or what its called. its not exactly the derailler hanger alignment tool, but is similar. ?

i ~just~ got my annual service on my bike (last free one):

full tune-up
greased up the parts i can't reach with my lol multi-tool
replaced rear derailleur cable (do i overshift?)
replaced chain (dude said i should have done so 6 months ago/every 2.5k, it was pretty stretched out)
new bar tape on my right hand (took a lil spill a while back and was beginning to unravel)

took a few rides to stretch out the derailleur cable and now it's back in biz. anything obvious overlooked?

I'm waiting for the snow to melt and then its a complete drivetrain rebuld. The salt has done horrible things to just about everything.

^^^real talk

srsly tempted to buy a 199 scattante CX frame and just swap everything over to it, so sick of this dropout issue

...then eventually deal with it, and convert the cross check to full time fixed gear pootler

Considering getting the frame powder coated. There's a girl in town I met who'd had her cross-check completely stripped and powder coated, much tougher than paint.

hoping my chain lasts till then.

oh just get a new chain ffs

Snow should be history in a week or so.

it's gone here!

*braces for blizzard*

47˚F this weekend

Chain saved, thanks to:

http://www.netmercury.net/images/products/display/dupontchainsaver14oz.jpg

for now, at least

ed what is the going rate for stripping/powdercoating out there? thinking of having my bike redone.

I need to find out but I recall it not being very expensive, closer to $100 than $200.

i think spectrum in co springs was on the order of $200+ last time i checked, so that sounds good.

my frame is ti with an old team powdercoat scheme. i've been told i can pretty much peel my existing powdercoat off with a little effort. which i dont wanna make.

i was gonna say yr right by spectrum who are supposed to be GOAT powdercoat dudes

they did my current scheme. apparently my frame was one of there first tests of fade schemes with powdercoat. it looks...ok. ive been gently told the scheme (orange/black) is fugly by a couple of "friends." i said, y'know, "s'alright because my frame might be ugly but at least my children are adorable not like yours- DONT YOU EVER INSULT MY BABY AGAIN!"

oh man ugly kids are just the worst

ok, so my chain broke on the way home and I spent twenty minutes getting it out from behind the cassette.

I am contrite and humble before gbx.

Out of curiosity, what is the worst thing you could reasonably predict might happen if your chain breaks while riding? This seems like it could be a really dangerous situation.

i think about this sometimes when climbing out of the saddle and worry for my gonads.

search vid of millar hammering the final 500m of giro stage for very possible win when chain broke.

we need a "...but that's bike racing" thread, where we document the agonies and quiddities. i am not so great at dealing w/ agonies and quiddities in the moment, i get a little hot. u_u

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIW1MAvyPD4

See also braley wiggins in last years road worlds.

Replacing the chain turned in to a major investigation. I think I need to replace:

chainrings
cogs
brake cables
gear cables
BB Bearings, possibly the whole thing
rear derailleur sprockets
brakes

also I noticed that my dropout is slightly opening on the drive side in the same way as gbx, not as wide and not as much a concern given I'm riding geared, but it does seem to be a feature of the frame.

uhoh!

i'm riding geared, too, btw! aside from the wheel popping out (in traffic!), the problems have been:

-- brake alignment. vertical play in the dropout ---> rim not equidistant from brake pads, also not square
-- skipping shifts. cog teeth not in parallel with chainring teeth ---> oh noes!
-- rim out of true. wheel gettin loaded like this \ instead of like this | ---> weirdo stuff with rim and spokes

how old is this frame?

1.5 years

so it all goes back to dropout alignment. makes total sense and is bad. warranty?

tried that, it's out of warranty. plus Surly are (apparently) notorious for denying warranty claims.

it's all sorted now, but the frame guy i went to (c4pricorn bikes, from whom i ~will~ be getting a frame in approx two years) said it might be weakened, so heads up

hmm, interesting. I have found that unless I crank my skewer up really tight I can pull the wheel out of the dropout. I'm wondering if there is a weird loading at work. I'm wondering if the extra stress on the rear triangle due to the neither one thing nor the other dropout spacing is causing the frame to distort over time and throw things out.

So far I've not noticed any other symptoms.

dont go breakin your 11 spd chain just to maintain- throw it out.

http://velonews.competitor.com/2010/03/technical-faq/technical-faq-maintaining-an-11-speed-chain_108165

how much are those things anyway

If you buy the chain you probably won't be able to afford the special tool so it all works out in the end.

So I measured my dropout and there is a 1.5mm difference between the hub end and the open end.

dude! mine was up to 5mm. think it's now down to about 1mm. surly >:(

THIS JUST IN:

Ventus Bicycle Aerobars Recalled by 3T Cycling Srl Due to Fall Hazard

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following products. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed.

Name of Product: Ventus Ltd(tm) and Ventus Team(tm) Bicycle Aerobars

Units: About 325

Designer: 3T Cycling Srl, Italy

Distributors: BikeMine, of Oklahoma City, Okla.; Quality Bicycle Parts, of Bloomington, Minn.; Security Bicycle Accessories, of Hempstead, N.Y.; and Bicycle Technologies International, Ltd. (BTI), of Santa Fe, N.M.

Hazard: The two rubber hand grips on the aerobars (handle bars) can loosen or slip off during use, posing a fall or injury hazard to the rider.

Incidents/Injuries: Two incidents were reported to 3T involving adults with minor abrasions.

Description: : This recall involves all Ventus Ltd, Ventus Ltd 17, Ventus Ltd Gold, Ventus Ltd Track, Ventus Team and Ventus Team 17 bicycle aerobars. The recalled aerobar models were sold in one size and color for each model; Black with red stripe for the Team and black with silver stripe for the Ltd. The "Ventus" and "3T" logos are on the top side of the bar with the model name.

Sold at: Independent bicycle retailers and Internet retailers nationwide sold the aerobars from January 2008 through November 2009 for about $1,200 for the Ltd. models and $1,000 for the Team models.

Manufactured in: Taiwan

Remedy: Contact BikeMine to receive a free redesigned rubber grip set and adhesive kit or information on how to bring your Ventus bar to a local retailer for a repair.

Good job I was never in the market for a $1200 pair of aero bars

for over a grand they should swing by your place, pick them up, and drop em off when done?

Fucking bb is creaking and wheezing. Scared to take it apart b/c I only have one bike and right now at least it WORKS, if I take it part and break/lose something, I might have to go weeks to replace it.

Also cotter pins.