Yes. **** a lockring spanner. I've jammed my knuckles into my spokes far too many times to use anything but Hozan pliers from here on out.

Absolutely. If anything, it works better on wire beads.

Scrod:

How often do you check your cog/lockring for tightness? I happened to be swapping out the axle and track nuts on my rear wheel (stripped one side by allowing my wife to convince me to pull a trailer on the Devil) when I noticed my lockring was loose. Nothing was stripped and the cog was still snug enough to be a non-issue. Should I be checking the lockring every ride?

Also, I keep my drive train immaculate (usually); there was a little buildup of road grim recently and I noticed that my cog was silent until I removed all the debris. Now its just audible and I have about 2 inches of play on the bottom side of my chain, so I don't believe its an overstretched issue. Does crap on the chain have a positive effect or is the affect something I'm not seeing (such as too much tension on the chain, which I immediately defended against)?

In all honestly, I very rarely check my cog and lockring because every single time I do, they're as tight as can be. In my experience, there's no need to constantly keep checking them if they're installed correctly and checked after the first ride to begin with (Hozan pliers FTW).

Chains that are a little gummed up are usually quieter than when they are clean/brand new.

Scrod, what is the lube they put on new chains?

I recently picked up an izumi eco and I was surprised at how quiet it was right out of the box. It's a very sticky waxy compound they've used, which probably goes along the lines of 'gummed up' as you stated.

need me some of that.

The "lube" that comes on most new chains is typically just to keep them from corroding inside the packaging in the event of them sitting around in a warehouse for too long. If a chain was packaged dry, it would most likely be covered with surface rust by the time it got to you. I've found that it's best to clean as much of that waxy stuff off a new chain right out of the box and reapply a good wet lube.

Quick question Scrod, when i'm looking at bikes and it says the bb drop some say 58 some say 50. What does that mean? How can I tell how many inches that is off the ground from those numbers?

that number is how many millimeters the center of the BB is lower than the center of the rear axle. The reason they use this number more often than BB height is because its the same no matter the wheel size. If you want to find BB height, take half of your wheel size, and subtract the BB drop, and that will give you the height of it off of the ground.
assuming your on 700's:

622mm/2 - 50mm= 261mm = 10.3inches
622mm/2 - 58mm= 253mm = 9.96inches
this i without a tire mounted.

/notscrod

Thanks a lot man, appreciate it.

BB drop is the distance between the rear axle and the center of the BB, while BB height is the distance between the center of the BB and the ground.

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_SZx2oaxuJS...0/BBheight.jpg

By measuring the distance from the rear axle to the ground and doing some math, it shouldn't be too hard to figure out. Of course, there will be variances depending on what size tire you'll be using.

edit: I keep forgetting this is everyone else's thread. Sorry guys.

You have to be running pretty fat tires to have wheel+tire diameter of 700mm

thats only an inch and a half thick...

edited the math thought, thanks.

Well this math is for 29ers so you were about right the first time lol. Thanks though Scrod and Nagrom now I won't be confused as **** anymore.

Dear Scrod,

What is the significance of my avatar that you assigned me (if there is any). I can't figure out what the reference is. I have wondered/pondered this for quite some time.

I've often wondered why you have the Britney kid as yer avatar. On the edge of my seat waiting to hear what the corn bit's all about.

dear scrod,

how to remove freewheel with no notches without destroying and to modify for easier removal in future

That's what she said.




(I'm sorry, but not really. :D)

To divulge the secret behind my method of assigning avatars may cause irreparable damage the universe. You wouldn't want that.

Every freewheel has a corresponding tool made for removing it. What freewheel do you have?

something like this. its on a friends pos bike that wanted to repack his hub and we ran into this. I suggested we could just destroy it and get it off and he could get a new one, but he's acting like a cheapskate and doesn't want to do that for his pos frankenstein bike, and I kinda understand really.

http://tinypic.com/j589yw.jpg

scrod:
what are your favorite tire levers?

i had a few blue parks but the tips get rounded down and ive already broken two.
i have two pedros and they seem good but they are new.

yes i have numerous bikes and i change tires frequently. its the equivalent to playing dress up with dolls. :O

I always use Pedro's levers. I think they're one of the only things Pedro's makes that I actually like.

You need this.

I'm pretty sure what you linked to is for the type of freewheel pictured below. the freewheel in question (like pictured above) has no notches at all. thanks though

http://www.parktool.com/uploads/imag...wheel_293w.jpg