Dropped a pad.

Posted on 6th May 2025 by essiep

15°C, light SW breeze, strong sun & dry.

First ride after breaking a rib or two. On the last DofE, I tripped over a black guy line in fading light.

Strange mechanical problem; I had no front brake. I thought at first the long stopping distance weas due to oil on the brake disc, I’d given the bike a minor service earlier. However, on closer inspectiong, I’d adjusted the front caliper as far as it would go, and the pads still didn’t touch the disc. Then, I took the wheel out. Now I could see it, one of the pads was missing, and the other – very thin. There is quite a puzzle.

Now I think, the pads had become so thin that one had fallen out during a previous service (probably on re-assembly), ort maybe when putting the bike in the car.

After work 25k.

Posted on 27th Jun 2022 by essiep

16°C, moderate SW, full sun.

That was refreshing! After supper, the sun was glorious so out ce.the Jake CX from the shed. It’s got a new headset from Hope and a new bottom bracket. Wow, that made a difference. It’s so silky and light at the front end. Next job ought to be the wheel bearings. The Chaim has plenty of life.

1 day warmup

Posted on 22nd Nov 2020 by essiep

9°C, brisk W

4 days without a ride and feeling frustrated and fidgety. A short blast is such a good way to clear that feeling.

I’ve had an annoying time with repairs not working out well:

Fit new chain but it skips on the old cassette – so changed it.
Spare cassette also skips so must be worn out too.It’s been in storage for years.
Decided to pull out the commuting/gravel bike and it has a puncture.
Eventually went out on the commuter with its gravel wheels.
2 cassettes and 1 chain binned. Replacements ordered.

The problem is keeping track of how old componants are on bikes when you have 6. It was easier when I only had 2 or 3 bikes. Now it seems like a cluster of repears have come together.

I’m going metric.

Posted on 14th May 2016 by essiep

I rode Cyclocross with MapMyRide+! Distance: 31.24km, time: 01:33:30, pace: 3:00min/km, speed: 20.05km/h.
http://mapmyride.com/workout/1473311243
To tie in with hiking, I will try recording rides in metric. It’s going to take some getting used to.
Besides, the Jake has new tyres, a pair of gravel tyres, Schwalbe CX.

Somewhere in West Lancs.

For today’s conditions, they were perfect. Rolling is much better on tarmac and hard tracks. There are plenty of those this time of year. The only problem I had was a slow puncture caused by disturbing the slime inner-tube.
What a gorgeous day, not warm but blazing bright sun and fees blue.

Jake, wear.

Posted on 2nd Apr 2016 by essiep

Is this something to worry about?
The inner chain stays age rubbed down to the bare metal on both sides. This can only happen when the mud buildup on the rear wheel rim is enough.
As the frame material is aluminium, corrosion won’t be a problem. The abrasion has gone through the paint, under-coat and some metal layer.
Besides, the tyres are now new. Previously, punctures were becoming frequent on the rear and grip quite poor.
.
Schwalbe Rocket Ron types and the same kind of thing as the original pair. Perhaps fewer punctures also.

Walk the bike.

Posted on 20th Nov 2015 by essiep

6°C, light NW. Rain to start and clear later.
Commute with MapMyRide+! Distance: 14.99mi, time: 01:48:39, pace: 7:15min/mi, speed: 8.28mi/h.
http://mapmyride.com/workout/1254815419

Sketch in the margin of my planner.

Set out in rain but full of energy. At 9 miles front tyre lost pressure on an awkward stretch of road. Soon, all was lost and I had to walk about half a mile to a brightly lit pub. The new tube only lasted another mile or so. I can’t keep putting tubes in so decided to walk the remaining 3 miles.
At least it was dry by then. It’s so difficult to reliably fix a tyre when there is dirt all over the road. That dirt includes thorns. Also, I need tyres I can trust, so both will have to be replaced with something more resilient.

Too bright?

Posted on 22nd Oct 2015 by essiep

Are modern cycle lights too bright? I’ve just taken delivery of a Knogg Blinder. At 44 lumins it’s nearly double the brightness of the light it replaces.
Great, I feel safer. But. Is it a problem for anybody else, you know- drivers?

What prompted this is a comment by somebody at work. They complained that it bike lights are too bright and are annoying.
They can’t be as bright as an Audi, so are cyclists aiming their lights carelessly?
I suspect so. I fit two front lights, one aimed at eye level. The other, a brighter one, points downwards to pothole level. Sometimes, I turn the light left if on full power when there’s oncoming traffic. Also, there is no need for full beam in towns. Modern led lights are bright enough to ‘be seen’ on lowest power. Some riders do blaze away, probably unaware of how drivers see them. Drivers have a much lower eye-level than a cyclist, a factor that is worth considering.

Cross thread.

Posted on 2nd May 2015 by essiep

11°C light rain under grey sky.
It should have been a simple job.
For a few weeks a cracking noise came from the Arrow’s bottom bracket. This has happened before when warm weather started. It’s as if the warmer, expanded metal gap loosened the lock-rings.
It should have taken an hour to fix it. It took over two.
The threads were stripped on the left side. That is a worrying sign of possible damage to the threads in the frame; a job for a frame builder.
Eventually, I got it out, cleaned the inside threads with a wire brush and got swarf in my finger.
It’s done now, but to play safe, I have a new bearing on order.

Puncture 14.

Posted on 17th Mar 2015 by essiep

I rode Arrow with MapMyRide+! Distance: 16.44mi, time: 01:09:37, pace: 4:14min/mi, speed: 14.2mi/h.
http://mapmyride.com/workout/908219365
Unbelievable, fourteenth puncture of the year! That’s more than I usually get in five years. I know random events easily occur in clusters, but that doesn’t stop the annoyance.
About ten years ago, this happened. I remember at least one per week for months on end.
I never found out why.
I was rather nervous for the last 6 miles tonight, my spare tubes were used up. As often in the past, I haven’t had a single puncture. They often come in twos. The replacement tube goes in, then the air, then the pressure goes back down.
If I were a beginner to this cycling lark, this many punctures could be enough to make me give up.

Fixed sixty.

Posted on 15th Feb 2015 by essiep

I rode fixed with MapMyRide+! Distance: 60.0mi, time: 03:54:58, pace: 3:55min/mi, speed: 15.3mi/h.
http://mapmyride.com/workout/876416783
Spring soon. Rode familiar routes on the road at the best pace so far this year. Winter seems to be drawing to a close with all the usual clues appearing about now.

Only drag is another puncture, again, a thorn. Eight flats in six weeks.

Micycle

Mike thinks b/hikes

Category Archives: bike servicing