Cycling UK Forum

Ha! Spokes nipples are minor miracles of the industrial age. How can things so intricate and precisely made (where it matters) cost so little? Iron Age people would have treated these things with the respect they deserve.

7) clean the nipples; e.g. put the nipples into a small sealed container ( a 35mm film container used to be handy for this), give them a generous squirt of GT85, and then give the container a good shake. Usually the nipples come out looking like new, if the plating is still intact. Thirty seconds o...

Perhaps then it would suffice to put a calliper around the outside of the rim to measure its width: start worrying when it significantly (?) increases under the 40% overpressure test. This would avoid you having to remove the tyre to measure the wall thickness.

P.S I had to buy 11 speed (5800) as I couldn't find 5700 now in 32 hole versions. I looked long and hard without success for a silver, 36-hole, FH-5700 before I needed it, knowing that I would eventually want it, because I don’t want an 11-speed hub (with the right flange farther inboard) for my 8-...

So only the old spokes and nipples get wasted. But why waste even those if they’re good? That is, if you can find a replacement hub of approximately the same dimensions so don’t need to. I confess this is my own rear wheel this time. It’s a Shimano 105 FH-5700 hub. For several months there has been...

I wish to replace the (ruined) hub of a rear wheel with an identical new hub. Are there any gotchas or shortcuts I should be aware of? For example, when replacing a rim, it’s possible to tape the new rim to the old one and swap the spokes over one by one to avoid lacing from scratch. Thought I’d ask...

For the record and the curious, I solved this problem in the end with a borrowed heat gun after a hairdryer and a cigarette lighter failed to generate enough heat to do the trick. The sprocket was indeed held firm with Loctite.

I would just about consider a leather saddle, but most of them are, as slowster notes, expensive. They’re also not a great choice for riding without mudguards, which I do a lot. Think I’ll try one of the saddles Brucey mentioned first in case they work for me. Otherwise I may look into the impenetra...

Trouble is, most frames don’t have down-tube shifter bosses. Then you’re stuck with bar-end shifters whether you want them or not (I don’t). Do you bang your knees on them? Sometimes, but my main preference is for the simpler cable routing of down-tube shifters. That leads to cleaner looks, cleaner...

Have you tried a Charge Spoon? A friend lent me a Spoon and a Knife when my Brooks was away getting fixed. They’re both too soft for me, so I ended up with pressure on parts that aren’t made for sitting on. I ride with a lower torso position than most of my companions; maybe that causes some of the...

Worrying. Did the rail break where mine (including a Rolls) did, exactly where the seat post clamp held it? Yes, at the back of the clamp area: https://imageshack.com/a/img924/853/6k7vKZ.jpg (You may need to click that image to get a larger version to see the crack on the upper rail in the photo; t...

Trouble is, most frames don’t have down-tube shifter bosses. Then you’re stuck with bar-end shifters whether you want them or not (I don’t).

My C17 has been comfortable and shows no significant wear after a year and a half of frequent use. However, I’m fairly light at 65 kg. The alloy cantle has harmlessly corroded a bit. They’re good saddles that unlike leather ones can be soaked without worry. I take it back! A few months ago the rubb...

I sometimes clean rims with WD-40 since it does a fine job of getting rid of crud. But unless the WD-40 is then cleaned off thoroughly with a solvent or lots of soapy water, the brakes do indeed wail like a banshee. I have guessed it is because the slip-stick cycle is shortened into the audible range.

Understood.