You crack me up, man!

In the end, through all of this, I gained knowledge that I didn't have and now know the differences between the two and more :thumb:

Yeah really, I learn so much just from reading this thread. One of my favorites on this forum by far.

Scrod-
New member looking for either some direction on where to get the answers or your knowledge should you know the answers. I'm a super newb with little to no knowledge of bikes.

I have a 2012 SE Draft Lite-yes I know they are cheap and crap. (I've researched that much) Its the first bike I have purchased for over 20 years, I'm using it for a round town commuter.

So far i've added some MKS GR-9 pedals, All-City Clips, straps and a new saddle.

The confusion im having is choosing wheels and a new crankset.

When I shop for wheelsets I know I need to look at 700c, but when it comes to the hubs and spokes im not sure what to get. I run front brake so I would like to have MSW, this is the main reason for switching as my current wheels squeal like a banshee. Looking to keep my total wheelset cost under $200.

With the crankset I've found out that i have a Euro BB which is a bit different then the standard JIS or Square. I'm not seeing any crankset's advertised as being Euro BB compatible. So if I want to purchase a Pake or Origin8 crankset what needs to be done? Or do you have another suggestion? Im looking to keep my crank under 100 but closer to $50 would be good. (the gearing isnt an issue, I found that sticky :))

Hope this is something you might be able to help me with. i've been trolling the forum for a few months trying to learn but when entering a new sport/hobby its quite overwhelming. Thanks in advance for any help you might provide.

(tried to PM this but couldn't due to post count) Hopefully this is inline with the thread purpose, thanks.

It's been a while since I've seen a Draft Lite - do the BB cups press in or thread in? If they thread in, you can replace it with any English threaded BB, whether square-taper, GXP, or otherwise. "JIS" is one of two versions of square-taper interfaces (the other being ISO). The BB you get depends on what crankset you'll be using. The Pake track cranksets use a 68X107mm English-threaded JIS square-taper.

Regarding wheels, you're not going to find a better deal than Velomine.

What's the point of "upgrading" to a 50-100$ crankset?

Thanks Scrod! I'll take a look at the stock crank and see whats the deal there.

I want to upgrade the cheap purple crank to get rid of the crazy color.

What you gonna do when you get the bike for 180.

Fair enough. In the picture of Draft Lite that I saw only the chainring was purple, the crankset itself was black.

Very good eye Rootzilla ;) Want to teach me how to find the correct Chainring and hardware to replace just the ring? I assume there are 4 different standard sizes or something.

Without knowing whether your BB spindle is square-taper or round with splines, it's going to be difficult to hypothetically pick out a sprocket for you.

Rootzilla = Scrodzilla's eager little cousin?

:lol:

In that case, he should change his name to Scrodzuki.

For those who don't know, Godzuki was a character created by Hannah-Barbera in the 70s that was supposed to be Godzilla's chubby little nephew who could only produce a puff of smoke when trying to breathe fire.

True story: I used to nerd out over Godzilla when I was a kid.

On a SS freewheel bike, what would cause such a difference betweeen the tightest part of the chain and the loosest part of the chain? I've tried different chainrings and freewheels so I'm guessing it's either the loose ball bearings, or the cones, or the hub itself?

When the wheel is coasting there's also a bit of "pulsing" in the chain -- going loose, going tight.

Thanks!

Unless you're using a premium-quality chainring/freewheel, chances are that they are not perfectly round - which is very common. ACS freewheels are notorious for being oval.

You may also want to try centering your chainring.

I believe it. Now don't go giving these crazy ideas to people. I think I just saw another name ending in -zilla.

Thanks! I'll try that.

scrod I'm having issues with my compression plug on my carbon fork.

ill tighten it down, make sure its not too tight and it'll feel good and I'll head out. the first big pot hole I hit I will hear a 'ping' and then the cap comes loose enough that I can turn it by hand. I tried adding another 2.5mm spacer on top to see if that would do it, but it's still happening. any ideas?

Scrod,

Got my LBS to install an FSA Orbit-X headset for me and when I got the bike back the steering was very stiff, wheel would not turn freely.
I adjusted it and loosened it a bit but it seems like maybe it's supposed to be stiff because of the new grease? I think I read that someplace?

Reason I ask is because in order for me to adjust it to the point where it can turn freely, it has to be right on the cusp of having slack. like 1/8th or 1/16th of a turn and it's got slack.

In short - are new headsets stiff/tight for a bit?

Notscrod, but in my experience, new headsets are sometimes stiff or resistant to turning, but this should fade quickly. If it doesn't, somebody down the line most likely had a classic case of the doin' it wrong's.

Once the stems tight you can relax the top cap. Might stop it popping up and out.

tried it in variations from hand tight to pretty tight with an allen key. as soon as I hit some rough roads... DING and then I can just twirl the top spacers around with my fingers.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Crandrew (Post 14546936)

Very good eye Rootzilla ;) Want to teach me how to find the correct Chainring and hardware to replace just the ring? I assume there are 4 different standard sizes or something.

---

You'll need to find out what is the BCD (bolt circle diameter) on your cranks. 144mm is the track standard (the photo I've seen does not look like this but it is very difficult to tell from a photo anyway), 135mm is the Campagnolo standard also quite unlikely and 130mm is the road standard which to me woud seem most likely.

For more info, consult http://sheldonbrown.com/cribsheet-bcd.html

This I find quite confusing?

And no, as far as I know, me and Scrod are not related. My nick comes from admiration of Bootsy Collins and roots music.

Rootzilla is wrong here (which is why this is my thread and not his). The Draft Lite has a one piece sprocket which mounts directly to both the crank arm and spindle (not a chainring) and doesn't have a bcd:

https://www.lfgss.com/attachments/23...ite-2009-b.jpg

I guess it's time to stop answering questions in my thread.

I guess it is. This was the picture of 2012 SE Draft Lite I was going by:

2012_SE_Draft Lite_Black_Sideb.jpg

(Note the purple chainring as mentioned by CRandrew)

If he's got a 2012 Draft Lite, I stand corrected. You still need to stop answering questions in my thread.

Your compression plug is most likely stripped.

/hamfist

Will do. I only answered since he said he had a 2012 and looking at that picture your answer didn't make sense to me. + he asked me wheter I want to teach him how to find the right replacement for the purple eyesore. No intention to step on your toes.

Scrod, do you agree with this response regarding my question about a newly installed FSA Orbit-X headset feeling "tight"?

Yes. Sealed cartridge bearings are often stiff or sticky when they are new.

2012 draft lite
 

Yes indeed its the 2012. I will go take a look at the chainring size and the BB spindle style.


Thanks for your help. If I could actually PM I would pm you. :) Appreciate the help folks.