Whatcha got?

List the problem and the fix. Maybe we can learn something.

BART strike keeping me off my bike and in my car.

Mine was a stem bolt on a modern bike. My partner and I take off, and the bike is popping like a gunshot every few strokes, especially when pedaling hard. It goes away after a while. The next ride, happens again.

It was one of the Ti stem bolts that clamps the stem to the steerer. The head had snapped off somewhere. I used a small scissors to grip the bolt inside the clamp slot and slowly back it out. Then I replaced it with a non-Ti bolt. The same bike has Ti bolts all over, and so far, I've snapped a brake cable clamp bolt and the seatpost binder bolt, as well.

Last rolling "SNAFU" was a blowout on my 70'ish Torpado, rear tire blowout about 1 1/5 miles out. Had just pulled over and turned around to head home because the silly Itallian BB fixed cup had started backing itself out (I noticed FD chain rub and Crank felt sloppy)....BANG!!!! The old 27x1 1/4 slipped off the straight walled Weinmann Rim and let the tube escape...the tube in turn, let 75 PSI of air escape...5" tear in the tube...ummm, NOT patchable....

Chain came off my fixie. I haven't mastered the art of getting chain tension just right. I know it's not rocket science, it's just beyond my abilities.

Chain rings came loose on a shakedown ride. Tighten those chainring bolts nice and tight guys. Not a huge SNAFU, just felt an odd wobble when I was mashing in the small ring. Checked when I got home and all five were loose.

I had a pinch flat a couple years ago when I rode over a curb, but the only other repairs that I have done while out on my bike have been minor adjustments.

Flatted yesterday. What did we learn? If you don't want to flat, don't ride. What did we really learn? Well, I had my buddy with me who was on his second ride ever so he got to learn how to change a tube out. And he learned the importance of having a repair kit. Win Win.

On any purchase, I always make sure stem and seat post are not stuck first. This time, I didn't fully resecure the stem. All was fine until I made a u turn. Crash...

limped my way back and was stuck buying the bike

Remind me to never own an italian bike and straight walled rims :/

I always have my SNAFU's on my modern bikes and never on my vintage-ish bikes.

A damaged sidewall on my road bike provided a slow lead that required two stops to add air. I should have changed tubes and inserted a energy bar wrapper at the first sign of trouble. That fix will keep the tube from failing and has always worked.

I had Engine failure on a hot, 95F day. After 80 miles, I called for SAG support.

In the Weinnmann's defense, it WAS an old tire, a bit worn out (too much give in the bead wire)...but a BRAND new tube! Front is still holding fine...and it is another OLD tire...I just need to get a pair of Nice new gumwalls for it. (and ALWAYS torque down ITALIAN BB fixed cups...with vigor!) Two problems in one ride...well it WAS a shake down cruise, glad I wasn't 5 miles out!

Good tip!

I'm glad you weren't either.

For Tire Boots, I keep some squares cut from FedEx TYVEK packages in my patch kit....VERY strong, but light....and FREE!

On miles out...my worst was on mile 23 on a 50 mile ride...a blown spoke...REAR of course....Drive Side! Backed off the brakes that were rubbing HARD, adjusted adjacent spokes to reduce the rubbing, and finished my 50 miles. It was my 50 on my 50th birthday ride....and my wife was already calling me crazy for doing it...I was NOT PHONING HOME!!!

I remember you telling me about that ride. Do you always carry a spoke wrench with you??

After reading all the hype about Kool Stop salmons, I mounted a pair on my 87 Prelude and went out for a rainy ride, in Virginia, with my brother-in-law. Descending a hill to a stop sign, I found them to be only slightly better than the stock pads that came on the bike. I recently purchased Salmons for every one of my Mérida bikes, due to dangerous conditions in the rainy season, which is just ending. I hope this first experience was a glitch that won't be repeated.

During a charity ride, the handlebar clamp came slightly loose. Every time I'd ride over a discernable bump, the bars would turn down.

I always carry one. And a chain tool too.

It was on a multitool I happened to have thrown in my bag for the ride...had a full pannier with a few tools, snacks, and a quart of Ice Tea...all that extra weight might have "helped" break the spoke...but probably just a matter of time, it IS an 11 year old wheel, I've broken another spoke on that wheel (again with a bit of a load on the rack...over a bump....PING!!!!)

Tires not seating properly on rims. Challenge Parigi Roubaix tires, VO Raid rims. The rear tire lifted off and flatted on a downhill at 30+ mph. -holiday76 was riding it at the time. The front tire lifted off the bead just sitting in the garage. I figured out that both tubes were to large for the tire size (35mm+ vs. 28mm) and I re-applied both rim strips. Problem seems to have gone away. Maybe I can have -holiday76 do a test ride down the side of Mt. Diablo to make sure........

Didn't snug down the front brake cable on the Paramount.

Had to re-tension the front wheel on the first spring ride. It was fine when i hung it up in the fall.........
Broke a chain link on a ride last fall. Solution? carry a master link in the seatpack.

Top

Snapped a rear skewer. Replaced with another skewer, internally cammed this time. Bike is fixed; mentally not so much.

I recently added this CODA crankset to my Cannondale hybrid to turn it into an 81 speed (9X3X3).



Above is just the CNC chainrings milled from one piece of aluminum and you can see the slot where the crankarm is bolted to the rings.

Well the thing is annoying to no end. It pops and creaks with nearly every revolution. I'm assuming it is at the junction between the arm and the rings. Maybe I need to remove the arm and add some grease between the two pieces. Any other suggestions?

Use the open end wrench that you're using to tighten the rear wheel nuts to gauge chain tension. It should hit both sides, but no looser.