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by Vladimir
15 Jul 2018, 10:10pm
Forum: Bikes & Bits – Technical section
Topic: Sora Front Derailleur question
Replies: 13
Views: 922

Re: Sora Front Derailleur question

It definitely shifts into the big ring with my fingers.
It's basically new, barely 200km on it.
It's a Verenti Substance 2016, which I got very late in the season last year.
by Vladimir
15 Jul 2018, 9:16pm
Forum: Bikes & Bits – Technical section
Topic: Sora Front Derailleur question
Replies: 13
Views: 922

Re: Sora Front Derailleur question

LinusR wrote:
Vladimir wrote:In fact if I slacken off the lower limit screw completely, the cable fouls the derailleur, and almost seems to contribute to the problem.


Ah, my bad. I told you the opposite of what you should do. Screw the lower limit screw in too far and then attach the cable. Then unscrew it to the proper position. Sorry.

[edit] it should work perfectly by the way. There are some "trim" set ups to do to stop it rubbing the chain. See the manual page I posted before for instruction.


I can definitely see how it does work - the plate that holds the cable in place moves closer to the cable outer and you can get more cable through.
For some reason - despite this I still can't get the FD to shift onto the big ring.
I think I'm going to give in and take it to the LBS.
Its possible that the shifter itself is "wonky"...
by Vladimir
15 Jul 2018, 9:03pm
Forum: Bikes & Bits – Technical section
Topic: Sora Front Derailleur question
Replies: 13
Views: 922

Re: Sora Front Derailleur question

LinusR wrote:
Vladimir wrote:In fact if I slacken off the lower limit screw completely, the cable fouls the derailleur, and almost seems to contribute to the problem.


Ah, my bad. I told you the opposite of what you should do. Screw the lower limit screw in too far and then attach the cable. Then unscrew it to the proper position. Sorry.

[edit] it should work perfectly by the way. There are some "trim" set ups to do to stop it rubbing the chain. See the manual page I posted before for instruction.


HA HA - Ok I'll go try it now before I put it back in the garage.
by Vladimir
15 Jul 2018, 8:52pm
Forum: Bikes & Bits – Technical section
Topic: Sora Front Derailleur question
Replies: 13
Views: 922

Re: Sora Front Derailleur question

LinusR wrote:You could try backing off the lower limit screw to give you more room to get the cable tight. Then adjust the limit screw back to the proper position. Usually grabbing the cable with a pair of pliers, puling it tight, and with the cable adjustment slackened right off, then re-tension the cable.


Thank you for taking the time to reply.
I tried just that - and no dice!
In fact if I slacken off the lower limit screw completely, the cable fouls the derailleur, and almost seems to contribute to the problem. I can't even get it to touch the chain "in attempting" to shift up to the big ring...
Really got no idea what is going on here.
Starting to think that the guys at Wiggle set it up to the best of their ability, and the crappy shifting that I got before is the best I'm going to get out of it...
Is it possible that the wrong FD was used on the CX frame or the wrong shifter perhaps?
by Vladimir
15 Jul 2018, 7:59pm
Forum: Bikes & Bits – Technical section
Topic: Sora Front Derailleur question
Replies: 13
Views: 922

Re: Sora Front Derailleur question

Hi everyone.
I'm still doing battle with this derailleur.
I just can't get the cable tension high enough.
From what I understand, it should be enough to simply pull it tight when it's in the small ring, tighten up the bolt and then it magically shifts into the big ring. Mine just doesn't do that.

The lower limit and higher limit screws are set fine, as is the height. The cage is parallel to the chain/chain ring.
Any tips (before I give in and take it to lbs) would be massively appreciated.

Thanks
Vlad
by Vladimir
12 Jul 2018, 8:21pm
Forum: Bikes & Bits – Technical section
Topic: Advice on lever pull on my mechanical disc brakes
Replies: 5
Views: 701

Re: Advice on lever pull on my mechanical disc brakes

Mr Evil wrote:The specs shows that it might have either 140 or 160mm discs fitted, depending on the year. Disc size has a significant effect on braking power, with 140mm being a bit wimpy.


Fantastic point. My handy pink ruler confirms that they're 160mm. so there's potential :)
by Vladimir
12 Jul 2018, 1:09pm
Forum: Bikes & Bits – Technical section
Topic: Advice on lever pull on my mechanical disc brakes
Replies: 5
Views: 701

Re: Advice on lever pull on my mechanical disc brakes

As always Brucey, thanks for the valuable info.

a) - fair enough, and this problem probably further compounded by the bike being a CX bike and as such - has fully enclosed cables, so extra places for it to rub. Would it be worthwhile getting new cables and ensuring the lubrication is top notch? I'm pretty sure I have a spare brake cable, and somewhere in the garage I have the fancy version of lithium grease (PTFE grease?).

b) - yes I was reading around the net and lots of people were saying this, so I have ordered some replacement pads. Sintered, I think. Was a little difficult finding ones that are compatible with Tektro Mira, seems they change the names every year or something? Either way they're in the post.

c) hopefully sorted out with new pads.

Thanks

Vlad

Brucey wrote:best to get someone else to ride the bike and see if the lever force is too high or not. Note that recent (launched post-2008) STIs pull more cable than older models, so require more force at the lever. There doesn't seem to have been a change in cable disc brakes to allow for this.

Disc brakes can be hard work because

a) the cables are not lubricated properly (very common on new bikes)
b) the pads are rubbish (ditto)
c) the pads are contaminated (ditto)

I think that BB7s ought to be a better brake but not that much better than well-set miras tbh. Condition, set up and pad type are far more important.

cheers
by Vladimir
12 Jul 2018, 11:13am
Forum: Bikes & Bits – Technical section
Topic: Sora Front Derailleur question
Replies: 13
Views: 922

Re: Sora Front Derailleur question

Thank you for the reply.
I'm surprised, to be honest.
I'll be changing it shortly.
Thanks
Vlad
by Vladimir
12 Jul 2018, 12:22am
Forum: Bikes & Bits – Technical section
Topic: Advice on lever pull on my mechanical disc brakes
Replies: 5
Views: 701

Advice on lever pull on my mechanical disc brakes

Hi all,
So I've had a Verenti Substance since last year.
It doesn't get much use, mostly due to too many bikes; but another problem is one of classic operant conditioning.

Whenever I use the bike for anything other than very short rides, my index fingers hurt. It's from having to pull hard on the brake levers to operate the brakes as I want to. Mostly the pain is in the right index finger.

The levers are Sora, the calipers are Tektro Mira.

Questions is, what can I do about it?

If I upgrade the front caliper to a BB7, will that help?

TIA

Vlad
by Vladimir
11 Jul 2018, 11:57pm
Forum: Bikes & Bits – Technical section
Topic: Sora Front Derailleur question
Replies: 13
Views: 922

Sora Front Derailleur question

So I'm having a little trouble adjusting my SORA front derailleur.

First basic question, which side of the pin does the cable go on? The bike came with the cable on "the outside" of the pin (position 1 in pic).
It seems to me that the cable should run between the pin and the bolt, under the metal plate (position 2 in pic).

pin.PNG
pin.PNG (84.48 KiB) Viewed 846 times


Ever since I got the bike, the chain rubbed more and more the closer I got to "big ring, small sprocket". I don't spend a lot of time there, so the impetus to adjust it wasn't that big. I kept meaning to get round to it.

Now I've been trying to make it tight enough that it doesn't rub on "big, small", but I'm finding it difficult.
I'm gonna get my 3rd hand tool out of the garage and try again tomorrow.

But in the meantime, I would appreciate it if you could answer my question and/or point me towards a handy youtube video that might explain front derailleur setup process properly.

The bike a cyclocross bike, and it's a compact chainset.
Thanks
Vlad
by Vladimir
23 Sep 2017, 9:48am
Forum: Bikes & Bits – Technical section
Topic: Brooks B17 colour question
Replies: 5
Views: 895

Brooks B17 colour question

Hi all,
I rather fancy the saddle in the picture, but haven't seen such a light colour for sale.
Anyone know what it would be called?
light colour brooks.png
by Vladimir
9 Sep 2017, 1:26pm
Forum: Does anyone know … ?
Topic: Far too good to be true
Replies: 43
Views: 12206

Re: Far too good to be true

MarcusT wrote:
Vladimir wrote:
MarcusT wrote:There is zero corporate information, not so much as a phone number. And you ask if it is a scam?

There no need to be a twit about it though!
FYI it came up on Facebook a an ad and I was on my phone so I simply posted a link and asked a question.
I obviously suspect it's a scam.
Manners cost nothing...

Apologies, not my intent to mock you. Perhaps because I see so many of these fly by night operations that make a few thousand then disappear.

Gaz, Thank you for finding that page, I was expecting to find it on their home page, or About or FAQ or contact. Tried to research the corporate number and got no results. Direct Bikes has a different address and corp number, plus they have a phone number.


Fair enough. Cheers.
by Vladimir
8 Sep 2017, 9:54am
Forum: Does anyone know … ?
Topic: Far too good to be true
Replies: 43
Views: 12206

Re: Far too good to be true

MarcusT wrote:There is zero corporate information, not so much as a phone number. And you ask if it is a scam?

There no need to be a twit about it though!
FYI it came up on Facebook a an ad and I was on my phone so I simply posted a link and asked a question.
I obviously suspect it's a scam.
Manners cost nothing...
by Vladimir
7 Sep 2017, 10:38pm
Forum: Does anyone know … ?
Topic: Far too good to be true
Replies: 43
Views: 12206

Far too good to be true

What do we make of this, then?
Surely it's a scam?!
http://eurpop.com/index.php?main_page=p ... ucts_id=98
I totally want one, though!
by Vladimir
23 Jul 2017, 10:50am
Forum: Bikes & Bits – Technical section
Topic: Soaking a chain in petrol
Replies: 27
Views: 4815

Re: Soaking a chain in petrol

The same thing happened to me - after the "petrol treatment" my drivetrain became rather grumbly and creaky.
On closer inspection - it was because the whole thing, especially the chain and sprockets were badly worn.
The dirt and grease on chain and sprockets was actually acting as a "dampener" of sorts and covering up the incongruencies between the two. Once I got all the grime off - there was nothing to hide the fact that both were badly worn.
(what can I say, it was my first bike and also I decided it was a good idea to use lithium grease as a chain lubricant. don't ask...)
HTH
Vlad