I love my bike
Aug. 19th, 2006 11:27 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
doireI was going to cycle out to see my mother, but as I rode out to get some flowers it seemed that the back tyre was going soft. I checked and it was fine. A few yards later (Interesting; I would always measure in metres, but the idiom is yards) the back brake started binding. Argh! I don’t have a soft back tyre, I have a collapsing back wheel.
So we drove out in the evening and I practised thinking calming, liberal thoughts, resigned to fixing my bike next day.
Theoretically I can rebuild a wheel, but like plastering, it needs regular practice, which I’m glad I don’t have.
The bike shop I usually go to couldn’t fit it in for nearly two weeks, but I found another down in town (there are lots of bike workshops here) that would be able to true a wheel that day. They were friendly and discussed all the options and possible problems. I decided to have a new stack fitted too, since the wheel was there. My chain rings are worn and when I replace them it will have to be changed too. They did it in less than two hours, it was a nice job, and it cost about half what I expected. They’re definitely going in my notebook.
I also bought a new chain, but they didn’t have any chain rings. I refitted the wheel, since that got me mobile, and rode down to our usual bike shop. They didn’t have any suitable rings either, but did have a crank-set, with a slightly larger full ring, 44 vs 42, and shorter cranks. They also said they could fit it on the spot. If it had been a direct replacement I would have taken it, but I decided to think it over.
Well, I have short legs so shorter cranks would probably be a good idea and the top gear isn’t overwhelming so a bigger ring should be okay. Next morning I cycled, gently, down to buy the crank-set. And a different mechanic says there is no chance of fitting it for a couple a weeks.
So it’s do it yourself time. My cranks came off. This was the vital step. Cranks need a special tool to remove them.
The old rings show the worn teeth that prompted the replacement.
The new crank-set with poser’s black cranks. The pedals are a cheap set in case I can’t get my pedals out of the old cranks.
The new, bigger, ring fouls the changer. Oh well it’s not too much of a job to move it, but it will need to be adjusted afterwards and I had hoped to get away with out that step.
My pedals came out of the old cranks. That was easier than I expected. It was helped by having the new ones to compare so that I could be sure to unscrew them the right way.
All done. New chain set, new chain, nice true back wheel and old pedals. One advantage of the shorter cranks is that my toe clips don’t scrape on the ground if I don’t use them.
It seems a pity to take it outside in the dirt again.
So we drove out in the evening and I practised thinking calming, liberal thoughts, resigned to fixing my bike next day.
Theoretically I can rebuild a wheel, but like plastering, it needs regular practice, which I’m glad I don’t have.
The bike shop I usually go to couldn’t fit it in for nearly two weeks, but I found another down in town (there are lots of bike workshops here) that would be able to true a wheel that day. They were friendly and discussed all the options and possible problems. I decided to have a new stack fitted too, since the wheel was there. My chain rings are worn and when I replace them it will have to be changed too. They did it in less than two hours, it was a nice job, and it cost about half what I expected. They’re definitely going in my notebook.
I also bought a new chain, but they didn’t have any chain rings. I refitted the wheel, since that got me mobile, and rode down to our usual bike shop. They didn’t have any suitable rings either, but did have a crank-set, with a slightly larger full ring, 44 vs 42, and shorter cranks. They also said they could fit it on the spot. If it had been a direct replacement I would have taken it, but I decided to think it over.
Well, I have short legs so shorter cranks would probably be a good idea and the top gear isn’t overwhelming so a bigger ring should be okay. Next morning I cycled, gently, down to buy the crank-set. And a different mechanic says there is no chance of fitting it for a couple a weeks.
So it’s do it yourself time. My cranks came off. This was the vital step. Cranks need a special tool to remove them.
The old rings show the worn teeth that prompted the replacement.
The new crank-set with poser’s black cranks. The pedals are a cheap set in case I can’t get my pedals out of the old cranks.
The new, bigger, ring fouls the changer. Oh well it’s not too much of a job to move it, but it will need to be adjusted afterwards and I had hoped to get away with out that step.
My pedals came out of the old cranks. That was easier than I expected. It was helped by having the new ones to compare so that I could be sure to unscrew them the right way.
All done. New chain set, new chain, nice true back wheel and old pedals. One advantage of the shorter cranks is that my toe clips don’t scrape on the ground if I don’t use them.
It seems a pity to take it outside in the dirt again.
