peripatetic

Always grease the threading on brake barrel adjusters--otherwise, the adjustment ferrules will corrode and seize onto the barrel.

When using a fourth hand tool, loosen the barrel adjuster 1/3-1/2 up before tensioning the cable, then tension the cable and tighten the cable bolt, and finish by readjusting tension with the barrel adjuster.

DMF 

This thread contains good info on soldering cable ends. (scroll down a ways)

texasdiver

I've found that zip ties can be used to attach just about any accessory to a bike that lacks the proper braze-ons or eyelets. Search the electrical section of your local big box home supply store for a large selection of sizes and shapes. If you use the heavy duty ones you can really crank on them with a pair of pliers to get them really tight. I learned to use lots of zip ties on my scuba gear where they are perfect because no corrosion. Instead of snipping off the end of the zip tie with wire cutters, slice it off with a sharp utility knife to make the cut neater and less sharp.

For example, to attach a fender to the underside of a front fork that lacks an attachment bolt, just drill 2 holes on each side of the fender where the fork blades are and then zip tie the fender to the underside of the fork with a zip tie around the top of each fork blade.

wasabi

??? Wouldn't it be easier to zip-tie the fender to the arc instead of the blades of the fork?

Joshua A.C. New

Zip ties will eventually break. They get very, very brittle from UV and ozone I think, until they snap like twigs. It takes several months at least, but if it's in a non-critical place (like a fender) then whatever.

tradtimbo

This is not always true. Black zip ties tend to be UV resistent, but its good to double check. Usually for bike related things (computers, cage adaptors, fenders, etc) black should be used.

tradtimbo

Smart Ass. This doesn't work with "stunt sticks" or "peg" axle nuts for BMX bikes. You need a deep socket to get it started, unless you have tiny tine hands with tiny tiny wrist.

tradtimbo

Do you mean to coat your tube? or do you mean to help you get the tire onto the rim? If the latter, then I recommend you try without any lubricant at all. Your tire bead and beat seat in the rim should be nice and clean when you install your tire. If you can't do it with the force of your hands, then keep practicing. If you still can't do it, use a plastic tire lever carefully. Lube on a tire bead will compromise your tire seating and increase your chance for a blow out.

jcrattigan6557

The candle wax is a good suggestion. I can't stand trying to chip away at it, really gets under my skin.

enigmagic

If you need to fish a cable through an aluminium frame through internal guides, Klein being one of the more common, a Cateye wheel magnet will allow you to manipulate the cable through the frame. Magic trick that takes a really irritating job and makes it much easier.

wroomwroomoops

I have several zip ties on several bikes, and they have survived several years without any sign of brittleness. This doesn't mean that they won't break eventually, but it should take a very long time. I have seen a bicycle lock mounted onto the frame with very wide zip-ties (they were provided by the lock manufacturer itself), and also odometers and other such equipment, mounted on the handlebars with zip ties. I tend to think that zip ties will survive many years without difficulty.

All the zip-ties mentioned above are black. This is relevant because: zip ties are made of nylon (that is, of polyamide). Note that there are several kinds of nylons/polyamides, and some are more resistant to UV than others. UV-resistant nylon is usually black, because the easiest and best way to make UV-resistant nylon is to add carbon black particles.


BTW: hello guys and girls, I'm back

bonaparlare

Hello. I too find that zip ties get brittle and need replacing, usually at the most inconvenient moment. However, I always had a ready supply, since so many groups used them to put up adverts on lamp-posts and telegraph poles. Later they'd rip the posters down but the zip ties tended to stay. Before retirement, on my way home from work, I'd take a craft knife and cut the ties at a sensible place, so there was a fair amount of "tail" left and they were reusable.
I presume someone will reply with a comment about how mean one can be! Rather than tightfistedness I saw it as recycling and ridding the countryside and town of stuff that wouldn't biodegrade. Nevertheless, I'll get that "meanie" reply but I'm thick skinned!

wasabi

I would not call a fender an uncritical place - if that thing gets stuck in your rotating front wheel you are in deep sh..

I have just read the thing with the UV-resistant black ones and must say I never had problems with the transparent ones neither. But I definitely avoid using the colored stuff that comes in blue, red, green white, pink etc. because I noticed these are of inferior quality even before getting brittle with UV (tore apart some with my bare hands when installing things)

lusterwand

Got a loose Bottle boss? A quick release skewer and the appropriate hollow axle. Thread skewer into the loose boss till the axle seats,(use washers if it threads too deep), and use the lever to re-chinch the insert.

Mr Zippy

Another less embarrassing trick is to use a longer blade screwdriver. You put the blade on the part where you think the noise is, and your ear on the end of the handle. More accurate than your method, OTOH though, you want to be careful not to scratch what you put the blade end on, if visible scratches matter.

Panthers007

Put down a piece of Scotch-Tape where you're going to place the screwdriver. Or similar.

Mr Zippy

That'd work, although on good blade screwdrivers, the edges of the blade a fairly sharp so a bit of pressure would possibly cut through the tape. You could buy a cheap blade screwdriver (e.g. at the supermarket) just for this purpose, and then sand off or file off the sharp edges.

randalll

re-align your callipers to your discs so that they run parallel and dont rub:

you dont need to take the wheels off, just unscrew the brakes and let them hang on the cables.

now cut two small pieces of card and place them in the gap where the disc goes. before putting them in fold out the edges a bit, so you can put it over the disc easier. now start to screw the brake back onto the holder thing (i dont know the technical word for that part )

it should be quite a tight fit... if not, take it off and use thicker card or fold it over if thats not too thick.

take the card out once you're done and there should be an even gap either side of the disc

Skones MickLoud

When in doubt, apply more lube.

To keep your frame-mounted pump clear, stick the valve from an old tube in there.

An old bottle of eyedrops (sans saline) filled with lubricant is the perfect size for a frame bag. Fill it with a syringe.

The woodworker in me is cringing at the thought of this!

Watch them, and then get a second opinion. The "experts" that make videos for ExpertVillage are usually anything but.

robo

How to repair a separated seatpost head:

(NOTE - this only applies if the glue holding the head in place on the post has failed. It is NOT APPROPRIATE if any metal parts have snapped! The repair is only holding critical parts _in place_, not taking any major stresses itself)

This seatpost is from right about the era when Syncros manufacturing had been moved to Taiwan and their stuff started to suck.. Same design (mostly) as the classic ones, but the quality had clearly gone to pot.. On a ride a while back, the head came unbonded from the post, causing the seat to swivel around freely. Not a disastrous failure, luckily, but it rendered the seatpost useless. Here's how I fixed it:


Separated post and head:


Insert head, line it up, drill a hole, and use a 5mm thread tap to make threads:


All the way through. Not shown is coating the mating surfaces of the post and head with JB Weld. The bolt is essentially there as an extra precaution against another separation (since glue didn't hold up the first time around, apparently). No photos because i didn't want to get JB Weld smears on my camera


Back on and lined up, excess JB Weld wiped off:


Standard bottle cage bolt, 5mm threads:


Screw it in:


And tighten!

elcraft

Alcohol swipes (Like the ones used to clean Hypodermic needle injection sites at the hospital/doctor's office) can be obtained in foil "ready wipe" packages at drugstores. One or two of them usually fit neatly into the patchkit. They are useful for exactly this situation. I also cut a two sided emory board down to fit in my patchkit and use that sand down the innertube. The flimsy piece of sand paper supplied isn't as usable. Also a small amount of Talcum powder in a small zip lock bag (oddly enough, available in drugstores too- but be aware that they can "look" like illicit drugs for sale!)is useful to dust the tube with to prevent any stray tube cement from causing the tube and tire to stick together. These items are especially useful in poor lighting conditions that commuters may find themselves in!

jan12

Clean the bicycle really well before work is done. Take the time to wash (and maybe even wax) the bike. It's time well spent.

WCoastPeddler

Put the tape on the end of the screw driver and you can check several potential sources of the noise without getting tape all over the bike.

XR2

For chasing down noises.A stethoscope.

engo

For mounting a front fender on a bike with a recessed brake bolt/nut: Rather than using Sheldon Nuts, or mounting the bracket to the front of the fork (which can cause the braces to interfere with the fork sometimes), I enlarged the hole in mounting tab to slide over the recessed nut, and put the tab inside the fork crown. To keep the tab towards the back of the crown, I also put a short section of rubber hose in front of it. Happy with the results so far.