Cycling UK Forum

Paulatic wrote: ↑21 Nov 2024, 9:39pm You’ll need to explain why we need to see the same picture again in a quoted post.

Thanks. I have edited my original post in blue so you can see what has changed.

I came across this device for the first time in the volunteer workshop today. It looks similar to this. I can find nothing else useful in the vast plains of the internet.

I didn't have a lot of time to investigate as we were very busy and it seemed to be working. The problem was the rear derailleur. So far as I could tell, it seemed to make shifting smoother and somewhat delayed and possibly dependent on crank movement. Mounting such a complex bit of mechanics under the bottom bracket looks to me like poor design. I had to brush off plenty of muck just to understand the cable runs (the rear goes through it).

Has anyone else ever encountered a Shimano SPCM3? There's a similar thing with Di2 electrics - I mean the mechanical one. How does it work? Why does it exist? What problem is it trying to solve? Tell me the many ways it can go wrong so when my customer reappears I am ready.

Ah, you have the more complex wheels that come with the Brompton "derailleur" gears. The method I described is for the simple wheels that come with the plain hub gear models, such as my 3-speed.

Something I find useful for cleaning crud out of small spaces, such as chain links, is pipe cleaners. I bought a huge bag of cheap white ones ages ago and it is still well over 3/4 full. Start dry. A little moistening with paraffin helps get the last bits out.

st599_uk wrote: ↑21 Nov 2024, 10:56am There's also a nice app called OSMBugs which will add editor notes easily.

Organic Maps also allows edits if you link your OSM account. It is really suitable only for new points or editing tags of existing things like points and buildings.

I have just realised that the lightbox extension makes quoting with an image require some instructions.

If you just quote a post, you get the name of the image file as text, not an image. This might make the quote part of the reply hard to understand. Including the image itself would be clearer.

To show the image in the quoted part of a reply post do this (a touch interface is different):

1. Quote the post as usual.
2. In your reply post you will see just the file name, e.g. myimage.jpg .
3. Scroll down from the editing box to find the post you are quoting with its image.
4. Click on the image. It opens in a lightbox (an image on a dark background).
5. Right-click in the image and copy the image address. This is a function of your browser, not the forum.
6. Close the lightbox by clicking on the X at bottom right of the image.
7. Scroll back to the reply you are editing.
8. Click on the image button just above the editing area (between the star and chain).
9. The cursor will now be between [​img​][​/img​] tags.
10. Use your computer or browser paste facility to insert the copied image address. This is often ctrl+V or cmd+V.
11. Delete the file name, e.g. myimage.jpg .
12. Finish your reply as usual.

Please could someone try this procedure and suggest improvements. Edits are in blue.

slowster wrote: ↑21 Nov 2024, 12:11am

plancashire wrote: ↑20 Nov 2024, 9:26pm The "better video" made it look easy. The Shimano instructions are subtly different in that they show the left thumb holding the slotted plate and preventing it from sliding leftwards.

That is exactly what he did in the video - screenshot below. Leverage is probably important. Moving the fingers further outboard to increase leverage might result in not enough fine motor control to keep everything aligned, but I imagine force could still be increased by keeping thumb and index finger in place, and using the other fingers/the rest of the inside of the hand to press against the chain and bend the master link.

Ah, I missed that. Thanks. It still didn't work for three of us: two experienced amateurs and a profi.

Brucey wrote: ↑21 Nov 2024, 10:54am

plancashire wrote: ↑20 Nov 2024, 9:26pm....In my box of bits I discovered an ancient one which uses tiny screws to hold the side plate!....

that is going back a bit; do you remember the make?

I just had a look. There is no writing, but a swung S-shaped line which divides at the ends. There are two tiny holes, which look merely decorative. Oddly, the screws have gone AWOL. Super-Link? I have one with similar marking but not identical that is a bit like the symmetrical KMC ones except that it is held together by a very thin locking plate inside one of the side plates. As I've forgotten their provenance and history, I think they are for the museum.

Ron wrote: ↑14 Nov 2024, 12:59pm As others have said, it's keeping these things up to date that becomes a problem.
A quick check on the map for my locality reveals two camp sites which don't take tents, a discontinued ferry service and a route that requires bike and luggage to be carried up/down a flight of stairs when a more user friendly route is readily available.

Please spend a few minutes creating an OpenStreetMap account, learning to edit and then fix the problems. If you can't do that, you can add anonymous map notes and an editor will find them and do the work for you.

You can buy a prop-stand for low-rider racks that mount on the front wheel from Hebie. Could that help?

When I clean and oil the chain I turn the jockey wheels with the chain and press a small screwdriver against the sides to scrape the crud off. Then I use a dry old toothbrush, then the same thing cleaned up in a small amount of lamp oil / paraffin. I don't try to get them completely clean, just enough that they don't deposit muck back on the cleaned chain. I leave the bearing sleeves well alone - they get a rare clean and a puff of graphite. I'm on my second set, which I reckon have done 20k km over 10 years.

pjclinch wrote: ↑19 Nov 2024, 8:10am Drawing attention to old posts...

Something like this, for example:


No highlighting ring necessary!

Pete.

Yes, that would be very good. Apple does it in their forums too, but in a more subtle way as you'd expect.

The "better video" made it look easy. The Shimano instructions are subtly different in that they show the left thumb holding the slotted plate and preventing it from sliding leftwards. Maybe this reduces the leverage force. Otherwise, we did almost exactly what was shown in the video. I still don't understand why we failed.

I think I have successfully used the KMC type with holes rather than a slot on my own bike. I generally use KMC or Connex chains.

We'll make sure we have a stock of useable connecting links.

In my box of bits I discovered an ancient one which uses tiny screws to hold the side plate!

I fitted a Shimano chain to a bike in the workshop last week. It came with a Quick-Link of a type new to me. It has a plate with two fixed pins and another plate with a stepped slot which has a wider hole near one end. You place the hole in the slotted plate over one pin, turn and slide it, then place the hole over the other pin and bend the link so the fixed pins move slightly together, allowing one of the pins to pass through the hole and lock into the slot. Shown with a chain here.

That is what is described in the instruction leaflet. I could not bend the link enough to get the pin through. Michael also could not. A visiting professional bike mechanic also could not. We threw the link away and fitted the type which has two identical parts, each of which has a pin and slotted hole - you put it under tension to click the pins into place. This.

Did I have a faulty link? How much force must one exert to bend the fixed-pin plate enough to engage the pin in the slotted plate? Is there a special method or tool? Why did Shimano think it was a good idea to replace the simple symmetrical design with this one? I'm baffled.

Thanks RickH for drawing the blue ring around the calendar date. I wrote does not draw attention to old posts. The user interface could be improved, maybe with a red ring . I studied human-computer interaction. (edited for ring colour)

pjclinch wrote: ↑13 Nov 2024, 7:54am

plancashire wrote: ↑12 Nov 2024, 5:37pm If sudden loss of power could happen...

Did you notice the date on all but the most recent posts?

Pete.

No. The forum software does not draw attention to old posts. It could usefully be improved.