Cycling UK Forum

people have been known to put stickers over scratches....

since in reality frames tend to vary a little from their nominal specifications, much the best thing is that you measure up yourself and be sure.

yes, this is precisely how I have done it in the past, as I mentioned.

tim-b wrote: ↑26 Feb 2025, 1:53pm..... it may not be a good idea. SRAM only recommends their own grease, but the principle is the same....

most SRAM brakes run DOT fluid. So do Hope brakes, which are only rendered reliable by use of Silicone-based lube on the pistons. Having examined many failed shimano brakes, it is pretty clear that in nearly every case failure could have been avoided if a little Silicone grease had been used.

rogerzilla wrote: ↑26 Feb 2025, 1:35pm...... a TSR does, as the pogoing is less of a problem (I don't know quite why this is.....

IMHO the worst bobbing is driven by the rear suspension; IME front only bobbing is readily suppressed, either with a lockout or a change of (seated) pedalling style. The reason why bobbing is so bad on a TSR is that it is a URT at heart; this design was quietly abandoned in most cases for MTBs because you really needed a good 'platform' shock to get anywhere with it, and there were plenty of other designs that worked well enough with such a shock. So you could argue that a TSR might be better with a different damper. And you might even be right; ahh! but it wouldn't really be a moulton then?

Shoogle wrote:.......I’ve been having rear braking problems for a while.......There could have been a leak for a while but I haven’t noticed anything.......

commonly a shimano rear caliper will fail to a corrosion-induced leak. This leak is commonly very small indeed initially, but can often be fixed. A recurrence is made much less likely by use of silicone grease.

if you fit something in the caliper, the pistons cannot come out. The simplest 'bleed block' is a lump of wood, that occupies nearly all the space in the caliper; a fancier version can be stepped, so as to allow the pistons to extend, much as they would through pad wear. If you simply move the pistons through the full stroke repeatedly, this will eventually force all the air out of the caliper and up the hose; a kind of 'gravity bleed' if you will.

It is nearly always a good idea to lubricate the pistons (externally) with silicone grease, regardless of the brake fluid type. Relatively inexpensive silicone lubricants are commonly used with push-fit plumbing, and some of these are excellent when used to lubricate brake calipers.

since most recent moultons include a fork with some kind of linkage, it may be possible to implement a lock-out via simple mechanical means eg. putting a pin through the linkage.

OK that would be about four times a day, but the argument still stands?

Biospace wrote: ↑25 Feb 2025, 5:04pm....Storage? Tidal energy is cost-effective.....

However you do it, tidal energy tends to come twice a day, so unless you have a net surplus, tidal energy only makes sense if you can store some of it.

the good news is that the white stuff has fairly clearly come off something else, so it will probably look a zillion times better once that has gone.

Unfortunately, there is pretty much no way to be certain about what kind of paint you have (it could be single-stage metallic, pearlescent, flamboyant, or two-stage metallic) leave alone get a good colour match. If you do get matching paint, and have it carefully applied (eg. via airbrush, by someone suitably skilled) you may not be able to see the join.

It might be worth asking the people who normally see to small scratches on cars.

Nearholmer wrote: ↑21 Feb 2025, 9:27pm...Would a roller hacked out of an old chain, and put on a stick do the job?

no, certainly not, because it would clearly be the wrong size.

FWIW I don't think that a chainring can be worn hooked without also failing this test. Wippermann are quite clear that it should only be used on something made to 'zer standards' by which they presumably mean those for roller chain. SRAM have recently thrown a curve ball here because their chains now feature slightly larger (larger than the standard for 1/2" chain and larger than anyone else's) rollers. Nobody makes cassettes according to 'zer standards' and I'd expect some chainrings (ie. middle rings on shimano triples) to give misleading results too.

A go/no go gauge like this is ideal in a bike shop if your objective is to sell more chainrings, but the usual test (lifting the chain away from the chainring and looking at the gap) is much less expensive and probably just as good.

Nearholmer wrote: ↑23 Feb 2025, 12:40pm....One thing that struck me is that I’ve never heard of the brakes; can you still get parts for them if anything goes wrong with them?.....

Giant's 'MPH' brake is/was a pretty fair copy of the Hope C2; indeed even C2 brake pads fit, once you have cut off one of the two pin tabs. Discs are 165mm diameter, not a very common size these days. When mine wore out, I took the opportunity to upgrade to Hope 'wavey' discs which are/were available in the 165mm size. However IIRC I may have had to 'doctor' the brake pads slightly in order to avoid bad disc wear on the legs. Hope no longer stock any C2 parts, and I don't know what you can get from Giant. However, there are third party seal suppliers out there and of course used brakes are plentiful, so the spare parts situation isn't entirely desperate even if you can't get any spare parts from Giant.

Cowsham wrote: ↑25 Feb 2025, 2:04am Is it possible to buy a blank rim and cut your own holes?

yes, it is, but undrilled rims are rarer than hen's teeth; it would be easier to find 28h rims or adapt the hub.

in the same week as the US votes in the UN alongside countries such as Russia, N. Korea, Iran? Dream on.