Kotts

Depends on the zip-tie. Some are rated for decades of continual outdoor exposure.

Kotts

When mixing epoxy (JB Weld or other epoxies), put the two components into the corner of a plastic bag. Seal the bag and knead the components together until there is a consistent color throughout. Take a utility knife and make a small nick in the corner of the bag. Now you have a squeeze applicator for the epoxy, use it like a tiny little pastry bag.

Lemonlegs28

When installing the back wheel of a singlespeed, where the chain tension is adjusted only by the placement of the axle on the dropouts (such as a kids coaster-brake bike), you can use any blunt tool as a lever between the bottom bracket (as the fulcrum) and the wheel so that you can keep the wheel pushed out with one hand while you ratchet the axle nuts with the other.

or you could just hold the tire by the rim and pull lol

ak08820

I even put some tools which become greasy, just before the DW is ready to be turned on.

Mr Zippy

Put a few disposable hand /wet/alcohol based wipes/sachets (i.e. the sealed ones you get from fast food restaurants that have a chemical smell) in your saddle bag, to use clean your hands if you have to put your chain back on the gears, or after any other dirty work you might need to do on a ride.

Unfortunately I worked this out the hard way yesterday, and my white handle bar tape now isn't as white as it used to be.

DMF 

An extreme measure for getting a stuck aluminum seatpost out of a steel frame.




Watch Fight Club before attempting.

vec

in regards to chain tools, is there one that is universal and is the most sturdy out of all the others out there? i am looking to pick one up, but i just don't know which one to pick.

JRIDERNY

I just strap the entire seam of all lights tightly with an overlapping strip or two of Black Electric Tape.This helps secure ,and" seal from the elements "the light,cyclometer(whatever). and just remove it to change batteries. Then reseal with new tape,

letsgetsandy

I f you ride a track frame with a tight clearance between the rear wheel and seat tube and have problems getting your chain tension right. when your at a bar steal or ask for a stack of beer coasters and when you get your chain tensioned just how you like, take said coasters and make a stack that fits inbetween the tire and seat tube. then everytime you change a tire or need to adjust the tension on your chain you have a handy guide and do not have to walk the rim back and forth and it takes just 2 seconds.

Mr Zippy

Electrical "heat shrink" tubing would probably be a lot easier to use to finish the job off. Comes in many sizes and colours and you can easily cut to length.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heat-shrink_tubing

Just be a bit careful using heat near your carbon fibre frame, otherwise it'll melt.

Mr Zippy

To protect the right hand chain stay from scratches from the chain when you remove the back wheel, make a protector out of soft vinyl/PVC plastic tubing - this sort of stuff:

https://www.hudsonextrusions.com/indu...rade_vinyl.htm

1. Measure the rough diameter of your chain stay, being a bit generous. Buy hose from the hardware store with an internal diameter close to or slightly larger than the chain stay diameter.
2. Cut to length so that the protector stretches from the intersection of the chain and seat stay, up until under the cage of the front dérailleur. Gardening secateurs are good to cut the hose with.
3. The hose will have a natural slight bend, and if your chain stay also has a bend in it, you can match them up.
4. To spit the hose, clamp the hose between a block of wood and a metal straight edge of some sort e.g. something like a metal strip. When you clamp the hose it'll compress, causing the place where you're going to cut it to buldge out, possibly more than you want. Adjust it until the only part of the hose buldging out from the straight edge is the part you want to cut off.
5. Run a utility knife (box cutter, or commonly known down here in Australia as a "Stanley Knife") along the straight edge. The hose is fairly soft, however it will take a number of runs to cut completely through it. As you're likely to be pulling the knife towards yourself to get the right amount of force, be very careful not to pull too hard that if the knife let go you'd stab yourself. This is why a number of runs along the straight edge is better and safer.
6. The edges of the hose where it has been split will be a bit sharp, possibly sharp enough to scratch the frame. Using a blade edge like on scissors (i.e. sharp but not too sharp), scrape the blade along the edges of the cuts at a fairly steep angle to dull them - also being a bit careful about using a blade (at the right angle, or if you accidently close the scissors, you'll cut yourself)
7. Tada. Now when you take the back wheel out, there is no chance of the chain scratching the chain stay.

garage sale GT

Make sure your seat spans your sit bones. If not, wider saddles are available from Specialized, WTB, and probably others. Lower end saddles you can buy at a department store are unisex so big guys may find them wide enough.

This is probably mainly an issue for road or high performance MTB bikes.

joejack951

If you own a stable of a bikes and like to feel like you are making the best of a situation, buy double-ended road/MTB brake cables. When you go to replace an existing cable, cut the new cable only as long as needed to replace the original. The other portion can then generally be used as well, either for a front brake cable if you used the rest for a rear or vice versa. This works on my medium sized bikes but might not on anything larger.

Kimmo 

The 'proper' technique is to lay the bars on a flat surface with the drops and bottoms of the levers against the surface (pull the stem off the bike), like so:



But I reckon that's poo, except for climbing... plus I reckon it looks lame.

I do mine like this:



The brakes and gears are easier to reach from the drops, and I have a nice, stretched-out aero position with the heel of my hand in the hook on the lever body... it also looks wicked : )

Almost the same technique as before, only set one lever where you want it, then use the flat surface to make your tripod square.

As for the lateral angle on your levers, you'll just have to eye em up. I like em to point inwards by 5 or 10°; I reckon it's more ergonomic and also serves to protect your levers slightly from crash damage. And... it looks better : )

roy5000x2

Pro tip for installing SRAM cranks: Install them twice. When you crank down on the non-drive side bolt that holds the crank together, small amounts of material will come off the threads (I mean incredibly small amounts. You won't be able to see it). Unscrew the crank arm, and reinstall it so that everything fits nicely. My race mechanic buddy has noticed Rival cranks coming off/loosening up on their own in the past. This is the solution.

Kimmo 

STI levers are rebuildable.

roy5000x2

oh that's just a myth

DMF 

A myth supported by a photo journal?

jr-14

Thats crazy! Who told you carbon fiber would melt? Reference from Wikipedia:

"Molding a thin layer of carbon fibers significantly improves fire resistance of polymers or thermoset composites because dense, compact layer of carbon fibers efficiently reflects heat."

Saying carbon fiber will melt if you pout heat next to it is....well, wrong.

garage sale GT

I'm afraid it doesn't say it won't melt. It says it will resist catching fire longer than if the fibers weren't there. That's a far cry from "it won't melt". How long is "longer"? How long is a piece of string?

Plus, it has gelcoat and paint.

If you can heatshrink insulated wires together, maybe you can carefully do a heatshrink on a carbon frame but I would still say extreme caution is warranted.

roy5000x2

smoke and mirrors I tell you!

Mr Zippy

I thought read somewhere a warning about leaving your carbon bike in a closed car, as the interior temperature can get up to 65 degrees C (with it reaching 41 degrees C here today, 65 in a car is quite feasible), which was near or above the curing temperature of the resin. I thought I had a reference to it. This FAQ does support that lower temperature, although it now says that curing is at 120 degrees C plus. So leaving it in your car might not be an issue any more, although I'm sure the rubber and other plastic parts won't like the temperature either.

https://www.luescherteknik.com.au/web...March%2008.pdf

Looking at the shrink temperatures listed on this page, they're mostly seem to be above the 120 degrees C, so I think you still need to be careful if you're going to use heat shrink near your carbon bike.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heat-shrink_tubing

DMF 

Instructions.

pat5319

Put a straight edge on your hoods in the SAME spot, use it to"sight" align/adjust the levers, adjust eye position until the straight edge almost overlaps the edge of your bars, adjust lever placement until the gap between straight edge and the bars is equidistant on both sides/ends

wilber.71

When I tried to pull the crankarms off of a Trek 970, I ran into a really stuck-on pair. Tried soaking in PB blaster. Still stuck. Searched the archives. Not much help there. I let them soak overnight and still couldn't budge them. I was leary about using a cheater bar on the wrench after having stipped out an crankarm before using that technique. I took my heat gun and gently heated the arm as I rocked it back and forth to keep the heat even. Once it was warm enough to be uncomfortable to touch, I gave the wrench another turn and off it popped. The trick seemed to be the heat.

Walt