noob questions

i agree pearl izumi is not offensive

Just yes or no for question one, and you can guess:

So I need a freewheel puller or some shit to take my back hub off? Because these wrenches aren't working.

Also, I changed the bearings out on my front wheel and it seems alright. Not as quiet as I'd like it to be while spinning, but better than before. I bought white lithium grease instead of that red grease, though, because Ace didn't have any. Is this grease going to break down faster? Maybe I'll change it out again in a few weeks.

And what do you use to break the old grease up? Some agent plus some kind of extra-bristly pipe cleaner?

Do you use special bearings or are regular one okay? I checked Shimano to see what size to buy, but I just wonder if I need some kind of high performance bearings.

And I'm not sure I even want to fuck with the central hub. Is it so complicated that I should let a bike shop do it? We have a very competitively-priced shop downtown, so maybe it'd be worth it.

Gosh, I was so ridiculous in the garage tonight. Definitely did not look like an old hand at bike repair. At one point when I couldn't find a hose I had my wheel in the shower with me with the massage setting on to get some gunk out of the hub. I tried to get all the tools I thought I'd need at Ace, but I didn't have my bases covered.

So, I tend to go through a lot of tubes & was wondering if it would be worthwhile to invest in tube which claim to be more durable (the Slime brand or others) or if I should just be resigned to having a repair kit on me when I go for rides. Here is the deal: I am a big dude (6.3 @ around 200 lbs. even when I am in great shape) & I ride a road bike. The terrain in my town is pretty rough (even the "bike lanes" & paved trails are riddled w/ cracks, holes & ledges at road/sidewalk intersections). Plus, I'm putting in an average of 15-20 miles a day. Most of my blown tubes are a result of general wear & tear, hitting patchy surfaces at high speeds & such, and not a result of punctures from debris. I end up having to replace about one tube a week. Could I save time/cash by going with "premium" tubes (the ones I get at my local shop are your average $4 basic tubes)?

Check your tyres and rim tape first.

Rim tape: make sure all of the spoke holes are covered, that there aren't any rucks or bumps, or any undue grit sticking to it.

Tyres: make sure there aren't any holes or splits the tube might be getting pinched by. Make sure you are running an appropriate pressure. Make sure your tube is the right size or the tyre size.

What size tyres are you running? it could be the tyres rather than the type of tube. when we first came to Pittsburgh E had 23s (admittedly very old ones) and they kept flatting on the potholed streets around here, we changed her up to some 32s (with kevlar lining ) and we haven't had a problem since.

I tend to think that there is something else going on if you are getting a lot of flats and having examined some dead tubes from this kind of environment a fair few of the holes would not have been fixed by slime. I do like slime although it can be a bit of a pain with presta valves sometimes.

Thanks Ed. I ride 27" rims @ 1.1/8" width tires. Here's the thing though: the only 27s they have at my local shop are 1.1/4" width. They told me it doesn't really make any difference, but maybe they are lying to me? If you are speaking of a different size issue than the general rim size/tire width, you will have to clarify b/c I am not that technically hip yet.

Pretty sure it's not the rims or the tape, though I'll double check. Since I bought the bike, I've replaced both rims & have had the same frequency of occurrence w/ all four.

At the very least, I'm going to look into ordering a stash of 27"x1.1/8" tubes b/c I don't know if I'll be able to find them around here.

1 1/8 and 1 1/4 will be very similar - they're not lying to you. The 1 1/4 will be slightly more comfortable on the bad surfaces.

Are you underinflating the tyres? They should have a min and max inflation on the sidewall. If you're underinflating you'll get a lot of [inch flats which sounds like what might be happening. As you're a bigger chap, make sure you inflate closer to the maximum. If you don't have a pump with a psi gauge, ask your local shop to do it for you and at least pinch the tyre afterwards so you have a ballpark idea of how firm it should be. If you don't already have a floor pump with a gauge, I'd strongly advise you get one.

It's very unlikely stronger tubes will make much of a difference, I don't think. If the problem isn't underinflation, then you could just have tyres that are easily pierced (even if it's not obvious this is what's happening). If so, it might be worth ordering some tyres online, if your local shop doesn't have them - there are plenty that focus on puncture protection, though most of these will be heavier and slower as a result.

The reason Ed suggests the rims or tape is because if you're not suffering pinch flats or puncture flats, then the only realistic third option is a jagged corner of a rim or spoke or valve hole. It is worth checking that your rim tape covers everything, and that your rims don't have any sharp or chipped areas. It's also very possible for a sharp to get inside the tyre and puncture from within, so clean both the inside of the rim and the inside of the tyre before putting the tube and tyre back on.

I am a big fan of these rather than replacing the tube every time.

http://www.parktool.com/images/products/productimages/det_GP-2v2_2005727_24456.jpg

Bam, re your hub questions, sorry I'm late but I have some thoughts. You should prob swap out the White Lightning and get some real grease -- I tried WL once b/c it was the only kind avail at my local hardware store, but it really doesn't have the body of bike grease, and you want a thick paste for the long haul.

To get the old stuff off, a lot of people use Simple Green, or there are other degreasers on the market. You can use WD40, I guess, but it's sneaky because it will kill and cut through old grease and just leave a light film of its own behind but it is NOT enough for things that move a lot, like hubs, or anything really. Prob don't use WD40 as a lubricant anywhere on your bike.

Frankly you can use a dishsoap solution and wash your parts in the sink if you get them really really rinsed afterward and pack them with good grease. Don't drop any bearings down the drain -- helps to do your scrubbing over a sheet pan or piece of tupperware in case you drop anything.

Someone -- Hunter? -- around here likes WL, if I recall. But it seems like not an awesome idea to me.

Pedro's do this great degreaser call orang peelz which seems to be more effective than anything else I have tried. Using WD-40 almost like spray air is pretty effective too.

It's a legit grease with a thick, generous helping of petroleum jelly, just not the usual compound for a hub. It's a grease used for bearings (boats and lawnmowers and things like that). I got some 3-in-1 lube for my chain that's about as viscous as White Lighting. After I did my front wheel, I discovered that my brother has bike grease in a drawer in his garage, which remains unexplained to me since he rarely rides his bike and probably would not fiddle with anything requiring it.

So . . . I have a quick release for the back hub and I stripped the plastic part from the nut and can't tighten it or get it off my axle. I may need a new axle, I dunno, but I definitely need a new nut (and whatever that Shimano part is called to get the back hub off. My records show that it's a freewheel adapter or puller or something).

Thanks for the tips about Simple Green and such! I may end up buying that freewheel adapter and doing the rear hub like I did the front, but I want the crank sqeaky clean now, too, because I have envy of all the speedy road bikers and fixie dudes riding around campus now that school's about to start. This ultimately may force me to pay for labor at a bike store.

(I had to ride the ugliest, heaviest beheamoth of a backup bike to get to school today.)

There are more special tools req'd for getting the bottom bracket apart but maybe on new bikes that's easier. I can't remember, I haven't done any work in a long time. You prob still need a crank-puller at the very least.

Re lube, okay! The WL that I bought once was too thin, and came in a tube. It said it was for stuff like bearings but it was way thinner than the colored paste from the bike shop and I didn't trust it.

I did that once to a quick-release hub. I'd never had one until I inherited a used bike with them, then got a flat, then tried to deal w it on the side of the road and ended up fucking it up. Got rid of the bike soon after, so no idea what the fix was.

xpost to Ed & Mark C: Thanks again for the input. I bought new rims recently & upon investigation, it seems my tires were riding a little closer to the new rims, resulting in some abrasion on the front tire from my brake pad, which must have eventually worn a hole through the tire, so there you go. Replaced tire today & adjusted front brake, so hopefully I will be good to go for the time being (but I ordered a frame pack & a road pump today for whatever complications inevitably lie ahead).

I have an early '70s Peugeot UO-8 (w/ mostly upgraded components), and for some reason, the fixed cup keeps coming loose. I took off the crank and tightened it flush so that it wouldn't turn anymore, but after only 16 miles, it's abt. a half-centimeter out. Other than Loctite, is there a better solution?

i'd like to pimp El Duke Degreaser: made in Chicago, all-organic/biodegradeable, really effective

Was going to post for the first time yesterday on the 'daily bicycle log' thread, wondering how comes people seemed to get so many punctures - I've had my Gary Fisher for eight years now, cycling all over London, and never had one. You can guess what happened this morning then...

Anyway, I'm looking to move on from my battered mountain bike and get something a little lighter. My cousin-in-law gets an amazing deal on Merida bikes (http://www2.merida-bikes.com/en_INT/Bikes.Overview) so I'm going to get something from them. Like I said, I need something lighter (after borrowing a friend's road bike I can't believe what I've been lugging around all these years) but I take the canal path most days and I need something that'll handle broken paving stones, occasional grassy/muddy patches and the odd kerb or two. He's recommending a Cyclo-Cross bike. Any one tried them? In general or Merida specifically? Am I going to end up with punctures/buckled wheels?

A CX bike sounds like a great idea. In an ideal world you'd have either slick tyres or, better still, lighter wheels shod in slick tyres that you could put on when doing longer road rides, while keeping the wider knobblier ones for the towpath.

Merida are fine bikes - they're one of the biggest frame manufacturers in the world - them and Giant, I think? - but they mostly make the frames for other brands. The bikes are solid, well priced and well specced.

Some CX bikes come with rack and mudguard mounts and some don't, so make sure if you do want the option, you make sure they do (there are bodges so it's not the end of the world if not, though).

Here's a 2008 review of a Merida crosser.

I guess while I'm noobying - whither toeclips? Never used them before but the the Merida bikes let you choose the pedals. So do I want straps? Those things that clip into special shoes? Remember I'm a central London rider so it's rare I go more than 100 yards without having to stop.

I have clipless pedals (Crank Bros Eggbeaters) on my roadie and toeclips on my fixie. The only benefit of the latter is that you can wear normal shoes with them (though I've found some shapes of shoes don't really work - and smart shoes would quickly get scuffed I expect).

Clipless pedals - where the shoe attaches in some way via a cleat - are much more efficient and secure than basic flat pedals, with MTB clipless being best suited to commuting use as the shoes all come with recessed cleats so you can walk in them with no problem.

The reason I use Eggbeaters is because they look cool, they're light, they fit MTB shoes, and most importantly, they have a 4-way clip-in mechanism, unlike other systems which either have one-sided or two-sided - so you're always flipping pedals. With the Eggbeaters, you simply press down on the pedal and no matter what orientation it is, you always clip in.

http://www.mtbbritain.co.uk/images/eggbeaters_pedals.jpg

plus you can clip in backwards, great if you miss it the first time.

if you don't mind shelling out on another pair of shoes then clipless pedals are a+++ classic (apart from the stupid name). you can also get dual sided pedals (clip on one side, normal on t'other) if you think you might want to ride in normal shoes sometimes.

I'm a big fan of toeclips, but I've never used clipless. Also I'm sort of a lazy mid-level cyclist with no impulse to be especially modern, fast, or tricksy, so you probably want to listen to the boys more than to me.

But it's nice to be able to switch the pressure off the balls of your feet and pull up, I think. My toes frequently go numb on my platform pedals that don't have clips.

Also I'm cheap, and I've had one bike stolen and one bike vandalized so badly it had to be trashed, so I'm not big on sinking money into any more of 'em.

on no evidence i have the intuitive feeling that clipless pedals might make your bike slightly less theft-prone cos the thief will not want to ride off on it. maybe that's naive.

gbx does have a story of leaving his bike unlocked in the front yard and it being gone the next day...but calling around and finding it had been dropped off at or near a local bikeshop and left for "dead", presumably b/c the thief was unable to ride a fixie with eggbeaters. Not as much fun as you thought, hmm?

I, er, just told the story for him. Sorry.

it had been bailed less than a block from the site of it's theft on BOTH occasions :/ due to the whole brakeless and clipless thing. Probably more the former than the latter that really a Ted as the deterrant tho

Is leaving my bike out in the rain w/out seat post - not all the time, just occasionally - a really bad idea? Have noticed some rust coming out on the post already.

How valuable is your bike? to yourself or in terms of resale. Obv, interior frame rust is not desirable, but if the alternative would be that you need to leave your vintage Brooks saddle attached to your crap Murray on the sidewalk, or otherwise clutter your tiny studio apt w/ a bike you don't really care much about, then perhaps the interior rust is not such a big deal.

Some kind of rudimentary cap would surely be easy to buy/make?

But yeah, you don't want your steel bike rusting from the inside, Tom.

I'll stick a cork in it.

srsly.

gf is looking to buy a bike; seller says this one can go for £120. anyone know if tht's a good deal? is pash still around?
http://glasgow.gumtree.com/glasgow/18/45665518.html

my bike dude says tht's steep and 'u cd be getting any old shit'; the suicide levers are a bad sign

pass

That's too much. That bike isn't worth £20 let alone £120.

haha yup

what's a good cheap set of bike lights? will anything do?

No, because if you get the flea market kind they will break and piss you off. Otherwise, I don't know.

£8

Not an expert, but looks solid. But with shipping, isn't that what you're going to pay at a bike store? The basic ones usually cost about $15 here.

Even at Wal-Mart.

I got lucky once and found a decent one in the hardware section of a Safeway for $5.

shipping's free; doubt I'd find anything cheaper in a shop but I'll have a quick look tomorrow

I got these cute little wrap-around lights that I can attach when needed.

Why do people ride wrong-way in bike lanes? It is very annoying.

Cozen, I have these and they're excellent - worth paying an extra few quid, I assure you.

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/Smart_Bspoke_LED_1~2_Watt_Light_Set/5360040003/

thanks mark

i am trying to research this but running out of time. i have a short window while in the uk at the end of the month to buy a new bike (i can also have one shipped to my uk address and waiting for me).

i used to ride a edinburgh courier and it was fine, but since then i've been through a couple of beaters. i finally have the funds to spend a little, say £500. this is for occasional commuting, but mostly to get fit, see a little of bavaria, etc. i want a bike suitable for both the road and bike paths, so i guess i want a poseur CX or a hybrid with drops. the trek portland is out of my range, but something like that? kona jake would still be a stretch, but more like it. revolution cross is affordable, but i have no idea what i'm looking at. your thoughts?

(tips for 2009 models on offer are particularly welcome, as i am totally fine with that.)

sure someone else more qualified will be along in a second but bikes I've been looking at in tht price range (which are all highly recommended on bikeradar) are the trek 1.2, 2008 boardman comp, merida road ride 880-24, decathlon b'twin sport 2, or giant scr 3/2

^these are all road bikes w/drops btw

i knew i'd seen you posting some leads but i couldn't find the thread. thanks!