Cycling UK Forum

Yep, Stanfords is where you need to look.

Are the punctures on the outer edge of the tube, the side, or along the inside strip that faces the spokes? The answer to this will probably help to narrow down the cause.

That mech may well be what you need, but you will need someone else to advise on cassettes. I think some of the Shimano 10 speed mtb cassettes may not work with your STIs. There is a cassette that will, but I can't remember which.

10 speed STI works with 9 speed Shimano MTB mechs on 10 speed cassettes, but I don't know which mech will go up to 36 on the rear.

Vantage

yes I carry proper spokes on longer trips. The FiberFix is meant for the occasions when I want to go a bit more minimalist. And it (theoretically) allows you to straighten the rear wheel when a drive-side spoke has snapped. You leave the broken spoke in place (just tie it to another) and pass the Kevlar string around the base of a spoke on the other side of the same flange. Not pretty, but possibly enough to allow you to finish a 300km audax.

I've just added this tiny bit of emergency equipment to my Audax kit. For anyone who doesn't know, it is a temporary replacement for a broken spoke. It is basically a Kevlar string with a bent threaded spoke end tied on one end. You install this end like a regular spoke, then the string (ideally) passes through the vacant hole on the hub and return up to the nipple to be tied off in a way that tightens when you turn the nipple. But in real life if you haven't got a cassette removing tool you may not have a free hole on the hub to use. If that is the case you are told to pass the string around the base of a spoke on the opposite side of the hub.

Has anyone tried using on of these? I may try it on an old wheel before declaring it fit for purpose. I imagine success or failure will depend on getting enough tension. If it works it is small enough to carry around on a regular basis.

I don't have a great record with this kind of thing. I have resorted to sawing off and filing out a stuck seat post in the past! But I think the wisest first step would involve some sort of penetrating lubricant and lots of patience. The temperature treatment also sounds reasonable. Let us know how you get on.

Vantage, I might try that White Lightning wet lube next time I need some all-weather stuff. Ta.

Zefal HPX are the best portable pumps I have used. They do fit frames with pegs, they pump up to high pressures without too much trouble, and with occasional lubrication they last for years. The novel feature (for a frame fit pump) is that the springy handle that holds it in the frame is locked when you pump, making it easier to get your tyres hard. A great piece of kit.

Bigjim

I had a very pleasant ride up to the Tan Hill Inn from Reith (Yorkshire Dales) in July, meeting only the odd bit of farm traffic along the way. Only 12 miles or so, but very nice. And a nice pub lunch at the top!

Yes, that sounds like good advice. Having the kit and the knowledge to repair wheels in the field will cost you little and give you a feeling of independence. You need to be able to get the cassette off (tiny portable tool from Spa) and you need spare spokes (mainly cassette side rear) and a spoke key.

Probably the easiest and cheapest to install would be those plant container things that stay put because of the weight of soil in them.

Never tried them, but I have heard it said that they are more marketing than substance. Longer chain stays should increase vibration damping.

At the risk of being controversial, I think some people are too free with the use of solvents to clean chains. Shaking your chain around in a tin of white spirit (or equivalent) works a treat if you are doing a thorough job, after which you can give it a few hours to drip dry before re-lubing. But a quick application of solvent followed by a quick wipe and re-lube can leave solvent in the inaccessible places where lube should be. If I don't have the time or inclination for a thorough job I settle for wiping the chain and cogs as best I can without solvent, then lubing. Lubed but slightly dirty is better than partly unlubed. I avoid WD40 etc because I think it is a solvent with a hint of lube and washes off too easily.

There still seems to be a choice between sticky wet lubes that cling on to your chain even on long wet rides but pick up dirt and make everything gunky (,Finish Line cross-country wet), and the cleaner lubes that are less reliable in wet conditions. I use the sticky lubes but wait hopefully for the day when one lube ticks all the boxes.