Search found 20 matches

by severs1966
6 Dec 2020, 10:19pm
Forum: Bikes & Bits – Technical section
Topic: Shimano Alfine 11 - Longer term reliability
Replies: 891
Views: 230226

Re: Shimano Alfine 11 - Longer term reliability

RJC wrote:
severs1966 wrote:
zeluzel wrote:He told me a lot of stuff, but i didn't understand it all. I'm not a chemist. The message did seem to be that both genuine Rohloff oil and genuine Shimano oil is much less exotic than they would like you to believe.


Just to be clear - your friend did some tests on samples of these oils?


Yes, It was arranged between a number of us that run IGHs as we sought a supply of oil that isn't expensive. He works for a company I can't name, that moreor less tests commercially available "fancy" oils and then markets copies to companies that buy in bulk. He works for a company that has a manufacturing plant on Humberside. His workplace is full of chromatographs and other sexy machinery.
by severs1966
6 Dec 2020, 12:02pm
Forum: Bikes & Bits – Technical section
Topic: Shimano Alfine 11 - Longer term reliability
Replies: 891
Views: 230226

Re: Shimano Alfine 11 - Longer term reliability

zeluzel wrote:@severs thanks for detailed information! It's good to have an opinion of real specialist, when it comes to things as esoteric as bike parts lubrication xD. Btw. what exactly did he/she tell you? Anything specific about it's ingredients etc.?

He told me a lot of stuff, but i didn't understand it all. I'm not a chemist. The message did seem to be that both genuine Rohloff oil and genuine Shimano oil is much less exotic than they would like you to believe.

Brucey wrote:IIRC there is no yellow metal in either Rohloff or A11 hubs so a GL4 oil specification is not required. It is also questionable whether the operating conditions would cause a problem with GL5 oils even if there were yellow metals present.

The yellow metal thing might have been to do with being able to use the same oil in Sturmey hubs.

Brucey wrote:The flushing oil should be near as good a lubricant as the main oil, because there is always quite a lot of flushing oil left inside the hub. IMHO you should definitely not use ATF in an alfine hub because it will almost certainly contain seal swelling additives in it which will wreck the seals in an alfine hub ( I have BTDT).

If you want to 'flush' with standard oil, you can; just change the oil, run the hub for a hundred miles, then change the oil again. If the oil still comes out dirty then consider a further change.

That's useful info. Maybe I will use the main oil for both purposes.

Brucey wrote:BTW there are only detail differences internally between current and previous A11 versions.

I have read a lot of forum entries that suggest that these might only be "details" but they are details that boost the reliability of the A11 greatly; its first couple of years of manufacture were marred by design flaws that caused hubs to fail completely and there were a lot of warranty returns. The design update supposedly cured this.
by severs1966
24 Nov 2020, 3:05pm
Forum: Bikes & Bits – Technical section
Topic: Shimano Alfine 11 - Longer term reliability
Replies: 891
Views: 230226

Re: Shimano Alfine 11 - Longer term reliability

rotavator wrote:Yes please tell us suitable, cheaper replacements for the Rohloff cleaning oil and year-round oil. It would be handy when my current cans run out.


Having spoken to an oil specialist I know, these are the oils I started to use for my Alfine 11:

As "wash oil", a yellow metal compatible ATF: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/254532256054 (I bought a 2-pack because I needed some ATF for other purposes, you may not actually need so much)

As "all year oil", a 75W90 Fully Synthetic Gear Oil (API GL 4+) which is, once again, yellow metal compatible: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/302918679363

Note that I didn't ask about plastic swelling so I am not recommending these for a Rohloff, but the principle that you can use genuine Rohloff oil in an Alfine 11 hub still stands, allowing you the "wash oil" functionality. On the basis that the "wash oil" is only in the hub for a few minutes, you could probably substitute fully synthetic ATF for "wash oil" even in a Rohloff hub. I haven't tried it, though.

While we are discussing oil substitutes, I use another Mannol oil for mineral oil hydraulic disc brakes, a "Citroen" LHM+ oil:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/302918701938 and actually, anyone's LHM+ will work, such as Total, who make the "genuine" Citroen LHM+ oil.
by severs1966
21 Nov 2020, 7:55pm
Forum: Bikes & Bits – Technical section
Topic: Dawes MTBs from the 1980s
Replies: 71
Views: 9367

Re: Dawes MTBs from the 1980s

There is a 1980s Dawes Countryman for sale at the charity bike workshop at Platform 1 in Huddersfield. It's in pretty good condition and they only want £80 for it.

https://twitter.com/severs1966/status/1317436773098770433
by severs1966
21 Nov 2020, 7:52pm
Forum: Bikes & Bits – Technical section
Topic: Shimano Alfine 11 - Longer term reliability
Replies: 891
Views: 230226

Re: Shimano Alfine 11 - Longer term reliability

mnahon wrote:Thanks for those responses. My concern with the drain hole and what I've read of the oil change process is that due to the slowness of the draining...


You can improve the oil change process by basically stealing the Rohloff oil change method. Instead of draining the hub and then re-filling it with new oil, as per the Shimano method, you drain the hub and fill it with "washing oil" (a thin oil, such as yellow metal compatible ATF). You then run the hub up and down the gears by hand-cranking the pedals on a workstand, or even in the traditional "upside down on the floor" position. Then you drain the "washing oil" and replace it with the proper all-year-round hub oil.

You can do this by simply buying a Rohloff oil change pack, consisting of "Spülöl" ("washing oil") and "Ganzjahresöl" (all-year-round hub oil) or you can substitute the two oils by whatever the Rohloff enthusiasts recommend in the forums. Rohloff's all-year-round oil is generally described as being the same stuff, more or less, as Shimano Alfine hub oil.

I posted a more detailed item about Alfine 11 oil changes and their overlap with Rohloff over at Bike forums:

https://www.bikeforums.net/21595504-post32.html

I can post a summary of what oils I use if anyone wants, following conversations with oil experts who figured oil what the Rohloff oils and Shimano oils are.
by severs1966
30 Aug 2020, 3:13pm
Forum: Bikes & Bits – Technical section
Topic: Shimano Alfine 11 - Longer term reliability
Replies: 891
Views: 230226

Re: Shimano Alfine 11 - Longer term reliability

Brucey wrote:it is basically just a dust cover. They quite often fall out


I replaced one with the tiny plastic plug from the top of a ballpoint pen (similar to a Bic but not exactly the same). A friend used a very short button-headed screw that they had lying around, it looks like about M6.
by severs1966
12 Jul 2020, 4:21pm
Forum: Bikes & Bits – Technical section
Topic: Attaching rear brake cable on 90s MTB
Replies: 15
Views: 681

Re: Attaching rear brake cable on 90s MTB

I volunteer at a charity refurbishing old bikes for sale. I have been in exactly the same position as you regarding the brake conversion.

Let me tell you that (in the correct size clamp) those SJS cycles cast alloy clamp-on stops are great quality and work really well. I'm sure one will solve the issue completely.

An alternative is to run outer cable right from the brake lever all the way to the v-brake noodle. with modern teflon lined cable, that will also work very well and minimises the amount of rain and cack that gets up inside the outer at each cable stop, because there are no cable stops. I have noticed that a fair few modern cable-pulled disc brake bikes are built that way, with guides instead of stops. Those guides are very useful in conversions from cable-pulled disc brakes to hydraulic disc brakes. But I digress.
by severs1966
12 Jul 2020, 1:02pm
Forum: Does anyone know … ?
Topic: The Worst Bike Shop Review Ever
Replies: 67
Views: 7486

ure for brinelled headsets exhibiting "self centering" effect --- Re: The Worst Bike Shop Review Ever

Graham wrote:After a terrifying high-speed wobble, down a long, steep hill I determined that headset was a likely major factor.
H/S races heavily brinneled with Bars-straight-ahead-position sitting between equilibrium points on either side...


...If anyone is just at the start of such a problem, before the races get very battered, a short-term fix exists:

Pop the three races that aren't screwed in (crown race, head tube bottom and top race out and put them back in, each rotated by a different amount but none of them by 180 degrees. Say, 30, 40 and 50 degrees. The screw-on one will end up in the same orientation as it started.

This means that the brinneling in each race is angle-offset from all the others or "out of phase", which significantly reduces the "straight ahead self-centering" effect.

This does require headset installation tools, and if you have to go to the LBS, the labour might be so much that you might as well buy a new one. But if you can somehow get it done cheap, or free (I used to be a member of a club with a workshop with workshop tools, maybe you can find such a club) then it can be a solution lasting a fair while and is useful for those of us either short of cash or crying about the expensive but dying headset (I did this on a Campag Record one in the late '90s)
by severs1966
12 Jul 2020, 12:38pm
Forum: Bikes & Bits – Technical section
Topic: Is your phone too big for your bike?
Replies: 53
Views: 2898

Re: Is your phone too big for your bike?

mercalia wrote:3p/min voice, 2 min/text 1p/1mb data.

hmm you may have a very very old account as I did that had stupid costs. You should investigate what the costs are. This was mine until I swaped over a few years ago-

02 iriginal tariff.png

Those original prices for voice, text and data are HORRENDOUS

why I switched a few years back

Do you have an online account with O2?

if so you could try a live chat with them for them to tell you what tarif you are one.

I cant at the moment find out the webpage for that


hmm

in order to chat you need an online account with them

https://www.o2.co.uk/apps/my-o2? ( my o2 register )

then

https://www.o2.co.uk/contactus

then after login you may get a floating window which can open a chat window then you can give them you number

I can do this for you if you send me the phone number
and relay back what they tell me about the tariffs you are paying
or or can write to them I suppose


I will try a live chat sesh in due course. However, my tariff is evidently neither a "321" nor the huge prices that you alternatively explain.

For me, an O2 text message costs 3p. I have a G3112 dual-SIM Sony XA1, so my data is purchased via the 2nd SIM card, which is a Three data-only card which was "charged" with 24GB when purchased, to be used in 24 months or less (after 24 months the data allowance vanishes).

When I do an O2 top-up, it gives me free data for a week or a fortnight or something, so I switch the over-the-air data between the O2 SIM and the Three SIM as necessary.

When abroad, rouring (outside the EU) I pop the O2 SIM out and buy a local PAYG SIM with a few Euros/Dollars/Baht/whatever on it until I go home. I will have to do this for data too, in the EU, when the law requiring prices not to be loaded when travelling is abolished once Brexit takes hold, unless Three continue with their great international data deals.
by severs1966
4 Jul 2020, 10:36am
Forum: Bikes & Bits – Technical section
Topic: Shimano Alfine 11 - Longer term reliability
Replies: 891
Views: 230226

Re: Shimano Alfine 11 - Longer term reliability

mnahon wrote:...it's crucial to use an OEM inner and outer cable. Where would I go about sourcing a proper Shimano cable for the Alfine 11? Thanks


I recently bought a complete Alfine 11 wheel and fitting kit from https://www.taylor-wheels.com/28inch-bike-rear-wheel-a319-alfine-11speed-disc-black-36-holes and it came with the correct OEM cable. This consisted of a gear outer marked "Shimano SLR" and a very standard-looking stainless steel gear inner, which I assume must also be "Shimano SLR" although there's nowhere to put a label. Both of these are very generous in length.

A quick check reveals that lots of places online sell Shimano SLR outer, so I guess that's all there is to it.
by severs1966
30 Jun 2020, 5:41pm
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: Touring food
Replies: 72
Views: 3829

Re: Touring food

Instant noodles, the best are "Doll" brand, "Mama" brand, "Indomie" brand, and "Nongshim" brand. The flat "block" type, not the "cup" type.

And lots of muesli.
by severs1966
30 Jun 2020, 5:17pm
Forum: Bikes & Bits – Technical section
Topic: Is your phone too big for your bike?
Replies: 53
Views: 2898

Re: Is your phone too big for your bike?

mercalia wrote:
severs1966 wrote:I find that my Sony XA1 is ideal for carrying when on a bike. It's waterproof-ish, and available in a dual sim model (G3112) as well as the more normal single sim version (G3121) (I use the dual sim, one sim is a Three data sim, the other a PAYG O2 sim for voice and SMS


you need to treasure the O2 payg sim if its a 321 sim as it is now discontinued by O2 leaving only Three with such and their coverage is not good.



I have no idea if it is a "321", whatever that means. I have had the same PAYG subscription and phone number from O2 since 2003. How would I know if it is a "321" SIM ?
by severs1966
28 Jun 2020, 4:39pm
Forum: Bikes & Bits – Technical section
Topic: Is your phone too big for your bike?
Replies: 53
Views: 2898

Re: Is your phone too big for your bike?

I find that my Sony XA1 is ideal for carrying when on a bike. It's waterproof-ish, and available in a dual sim model (G3112) as well as the more normal single sim version (G3121) (I use the dual sim, one sim is a Three data sim, the other a PAYG O2 sim for voice and SMS

You can get them on ebay for about £100.

I have mine in a semi-rigid rubberised case like this https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/162523022387 but "thin" cases and rigid cases are available as are screen protector films.

I carry it on the bike in one of those cheap chinese zippy "pods" that strap on top of the top tube just behind the handlebar stem, with a transparent top so you can use the phone for GPS and so on: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/392827647541

Set up like this I run a USB-C to micro-USB-B wire from the Intuvia unit on my electric bike to charge the phone: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/383438777537
by severs1966
25 Aug 2014, 7:18pm
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: London - Dunkirk - Bruges - Rozenburg - Amsterdam
Replies: 4
Views: 1799

Re: London - Dunkirk - Bruges - Rozenburg - Amsterdam

Or after Rotterdam you can continue to follow the coastal LF route and not turn inland until you are in the general vicinity of IJmuiden, to get to Amsterdam.

en-route you can ride in the dunes (on proper cycle paths) around the Hague, Scheveningen and Zandvoort.

Last time I rode in Utrecht was in the late 80s. At afternoon rush hour, about a billion bicycles all appeared at once, and it all worked smoothly. What a sight.