Cycling UK Forum

Pedants of the world, unite!

111mm will do but see http://www.campyonly.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=28

http://www.classiclightweights.co.uk/claudbutler.html gives you some more background, and may be a route to finding out more about the frame.

If the bike has Ergo or STi levers then it's probably just the indexing which is slightly out. For fine adjustments there may be a knurled adjuster on the downtube cable stop. For coarser adjustments you'll have to use the adjuster at the rear mech cable stop. Try making small adjustments to the cable tension and you should find the 'sweet spot' for gear changes. I emphasise the word SMALL, if it was working in the bike shop with no load applied then it's likely to be very close anyway. If quarter or half turn one way doesn't work, try t'other direction. Take a look at Sheldon Brown's excellent website, there's a section on adjusting gears.

garygkn wrote:Thanks all I am going to acquaint myself with all the resources offered here but the clacking culprit turned out to be the rear chromo plastic mudguard it had come apart at a rivet. This seems to be common but quite wasteful as I can't see away of fixing it unless welding is involved. It means a new set of SKS mudguards when really a quick fix would do.

Get a pop riveter and re-rivet the metal bit to the plastic bit, then apply liberal amounts of grease on the assembly. Extends mudguard life significantly!

Sheldon Brown http://www.sheldonbrown.com/k7.html#hyperdrivec has some useful remarks on Shimano cassettes, it might be worth taking a look and checking your freewheel body against his photos. Clearly if you're changing from a 12 to an 11 top then you will need a smaller diameter lockring, but so fas as I'm aware the only thing which should stop you fitting the new cassette is if your freewheel body has either a) the wrong splines or b) some obstruction which the previous cassette missed but the new one catches.

Ceri, first of all my condolences on your loss. As always condition, size and equipment will dictate final price of the bike. As has already been said, your husband's clubmates are a good starting point. Also if you search on the 'for sale thread' you'll find several Mercians and perhaps get an idea of a price range. Mercian have a Facebook page where you may get some advice (and a buyer!) and if you want to get in touch with Grant (the owner) you can contact him merciancycles@gmail.com

These days I always pack one of these in my back pocket
http://www.parker-international.co.uk/1 ... h-Set.html
together with a spare powerlink

I've never had to use the chain tool on my bike, but it's been used a few times by others!

As already said, buy an SRAM or Wipperman chain and use a Power Link to make the final connection rather than attempt to rivet the chain together yourself.

Ah, sorry, I overlooked the gear cable bit and assumed brake. Yes, the stepped ferrule is indeed what you need.

You probably don't need a ferrule, shouldn't be problem as long as the outer is a snug fit in the cable stop (bit of a clue there) and the cable hole isn't enlarged so much that the outer pulls through.

Could be that the spokes are flexing over one another under pressure and the noise may be a 'feature'. Try some light oil or grease on the crossovers and see if it goes away (although it will probably come back). The alternative is that the spokes are tight and as you apply pressure (or weight) the spokes are untightening slightly. Has the wheel gone out of true? If so, get it trued up then (with tyre/tube/rimtape removed) apply some threadlock to the top of each spoke nipple.

Many years ago I came to a signpost in Scotland, somewhere up on the west coast road near Laxford Bridge. It had just two directions, North and West - but some wag had deleted the 's' in the latter. At the time, the sun was shining. Had it been raining I doubt I'd have been so amused. Also on that trip I saw a sign which read "Stromeferry (no ferry)"

There's a Grovelley Lane in Cofton Hackett (Birmingham). It all sounds very uncomfortable.

PW wrote:Still can't beat a Zefal HPX. It'll go up to around 7-8 bar in no time, a bit of arm ache is a minor niggle. At least you won't run out of cartridges

I had an(other) aberration. When I said SKS earlier, I meant Zefal HPX.

Another vote for sks, if you can fit one on your frame they're the d's b's. On the bike which only has room for a mini-pump I take one of these along with me too, as the last time I used the mini-pump I needed a day to recover http://tinyurl.com/22m9ozv . Fortunately I've never had to use the CO2 pump but it came with the best reviews! The last time I used a CO2 pump was many years ago in a race, one shot, gets you home but you still need a backup.