Cycling UK Forum

Hi,

A few weeks ago, I bought this frame:



I've got it set up now:



This number is on the bottom bracket:



More frame photos here:
https://plus.google.com/photos/11556294 ... 7181920993

I wondered if anyone might be able to offer any advice please re. how I might find out, if possible, the make of the frame?

Thanks

Jim

Hi,

I recently bought a 2nd hand bike (Specialized Hardrock Comp, not sure of the year), for me / wife / kids to take out on rides. We all tend to get grease on our legs / trousers from the chainset - which looks like this:



Does anyone know if chain guards can be bought for a chainset like this? Or do people make their own, or try other solutions as covered here:
http://www.bikeforums.net/commuting/732 ... guard.html

Any advice would be much appreciated.

Thanks

Thanks Jon. From what I've read, I don't think I can do that as I have an old wheel with a threaded hub and an old fashioned 7 speed 14-28 tooth freewheel.

It's not a freehub or cassette type setup - I use a freewheel removal tool like this one:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B002NGO2D0/

Can freewheels be hacked up in the same way a cassette can?

Thanks

Thanks for your replies. I used to have an old hack bike with the same setup as on my new bike and in the end, thinking about it, the chain did wear and jump into a ring with more teeth on f/wheel which jammed up the wheel.

However, the chain was years old and I didn't check it regularly for wear.

Presumably on this new setup if I keep an eye out for chain wear I might be okay / can prevent the scenario that is mentioned in the text I quoted?

Thanks

I recently bought an old steel frame and after many hours of work found that I had run out of steam in trying to get the gears set up on it.

I thought, I know, I'll run it as a single speed as I've always wanted a SS bike, 50T front ring to 20T on freewheel.

Now it looks like this:



The chainline looks okay:


However, then I read this:
https://timmcgivern.wordpress.com/2008/ ... wrong-way/

And this:
http://www.bikeforums.net/classic-vinta ... speed.html

The 2nd link said:

The bad thing about the setup keeping the multi cog freewheel on there is that when the rider is speeding up and puts tension on the drivetrain (like out of the saddle sprinting, or even less drastic.) the lower length of chain will go a little slack. If the chain is swaying (and it will if your trying to pick up speed) then it could catch on the larger cog and either rip the rear wheel from the drops or just bend the chain stay. This is a very real possibility with this setup. Another way to fix this is to add a chain tensioner (a old rear derailleur can be used for this, but then this defeats the purpose of making it a single speed in a sense.

I have a few options:

1. Buy a wheel built for single speed like this one:
http://singlespeedcomponents.co.uk/whee ... k-549.html

And buy a single speed f/wheel - e.g.
http://singlespeedcomponents.co.uk/free ... teeth.html

2. Keep on with the bodge job.

I just wondered if anyone else has had experience with single speed conversions, and if people agree with the quote above re. the risk of my bodge job?

Thanks

Hi,

Not quite in South B'ham, but you could try:

Mercian Cycles, Derby:
http://www.merciancycles.co.uk/complete-bikes

They seem to sold nice touring bikes

PM sent - THANK YOU SO MUCH

Hi Bob - that sounds like an interesting solution. Would it be a big imposition if I could ask if you'd be able to take a photo of that please, so I can see what you did?

Thanks

I bought an old frame, which did have a brazed stay like this:



In the position where this one has been removed:



However, even if the one that had been removed was still there, it was no use, since it isn't the usual kind of metal cap into which the cable feeding into the rear mech can sit, and against which the cable can pull when changing gear.

I need to find a way to secure the cable against the frame, so that when I try to change gear on the rear mech, the cable remains in place. I have tried cable ties and also a jubilee clip, but neither worked.

I wondered if anyone might be able to offer any advice please about how I can sort this out? I suppose one option is to go to a frame builder and ask them to sort it, but I suppose that might be expensive. Dave Hinde in Northwich is about 7 miles from where I live, so maybe I could try that?

Any advice would be much appreciated.

Thanks

Hi - thanks to everyone for their helpful advice yesterday.

Roger - I bought the bike - it was so spotless, it looked like the owner polished the tyres! Only issue is that the steering is a little bit stiff on extremes of turning the handlebars, but that's all. I did the bounce test, front and back and checked all over for cracked paint, but it's in perfect condition.

If I'd been more careful in early jan I'd have saved myself £70 on a seemingly okay bike, until I got it home and found the forks were seized on, as was the front brake's bolt securing it through the forks, and one of the gear cable threaded drop-outs!

Thanks again

Thank you Roger, that's a big help and very useful. I hope to put that into practice in a couple of hours

RogerThat wrote:The only downside to second hand is you don't know what the previous owner has done with/to the bicycle. I've a few friends who've been stung recently: one with a stress fracture in the head tube if an aluminium road bike and the other with a not quite stripped but certainly very dodgy bottom bracket which is on its way out (with the frame).

These are difficult, if not impossible things for novices to detect. I make a point of accompanying my friends or colleagues when buying second hand. It's not like buying a bike from a shop, once you have handed over the cash the bike, and any associated problems with it are now yours!!

Take an experienced cyclist our better still a mechanic with you to assess your purchase.

Thanks Roger - wise advice!

I don't have the option to take someone with me unfortunately. I wondered if you might have time to offer any advice to look for when checking the bike over please?

I would check things like wear on the chainrings and freewheel (though both could be replaced), loose bottom bracket, buckled wheels, loose cones, loose headset (putting front brake on and rocking bike). Would stress fractures be hard to spot?

Thanks again

Hi,

Does anyone have any views about whether either of these bikes look "good":

specialized hardrock mountain bike
http://www.gumtree.com/p/for-sale/speci ... 1106106546

TREK 7500 MULTITRACK HYBRID BIKE, 27' WHEELS
http://www.gumtree.com/p/bicycles/trek- ... 1106051454

I realise it's hard to say as the photos aren't very big and until viewing it's not possible to check wheels for buckles / loose cones / worn teeth / bottom bracket etc.

However, just wondered what others think?

Thanks

Hi,

I'm thinking of buying a new bike, and can't decide between:

Carrera Subway 1 Mens Hybrid Bike 2015
£280
http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/h ... -bike-2015

B'TWIN Rockrider 500 Mountain Bike
£239
http://www.decathlon.co.uk/rockrider-50 ... 93150.html
Review: http://www.bike-advisor.com/reviews/bic ... -2014.html

B'TWIN Rockrider 520 Mountain Bike
£330
http://www.decathlon.co.uk/rockrider-52 ... 93188.html

I sort of prefer the Carrera as it is probably lighter and doesn't have suspension forks. I can't find any recent reviews of it though.

I have read a review for the Rockrider 500 - seems okay...

I would mainly be riding the bike on roads, to work (only about 4 miles a day), and on canal towpaths.

I'm not up on what are / aren't good parts so can't decide between these bikes.

Any advice would be much appreciated.

Thanks