Cycling UK Forum

AndyB1 wrote: ↑6 May 2024, 8:53pm I have a steel framed bike. I wonder if there would be more noise with an aluminium frame?

Good point! My Rohloff hub started off on an aluminium framed bike and after 3k miles I moved the wheel etc to a steel frame. It instantly became quieter. I think it's because the stays on the aluminium frame were larger diameter than on the steel frame and were better echo chambers but there might be another reason. A bit of noise in 7th gear has its use as it provides an audible indication of the gear position without looking at the shifter.

If the bike is imperfect but usable then perhaps there's scope to negotiate a partial refund if you politely express disappointment.

I agree with the previous comments. While the hub may be a bit noisy, particularly in gears 7 and below, to start with it will gradually become quieter as it gets run in. Mine is now at 11k miles and the noise is barely noticeable. A new Rohloff hub is quieter than some of the freehubs.

I've got one of these Bosch battery pressure washers https://www.bosch-diy.com/gb/en/p/fontus-18v-06008b6102. I use it to clean the bikes on the lowest power setting but also avoid squirting water straight at the bearings.

Somewhere in my bike baggage should be a small bottle (the size used for shampoo in some hotels) of diluted washing-up liquid. It is good lubricant for intransigent tyre beads and can also be used for cleaning dirty fingers. I like the Schwalbe tyre levers. They include the useful feature of being able to clip on a rim and holding one part of a tyre in place on the rim while wrestling with another part.

I put some dilute washing-up liquid on the beads of tubeless tyres to help them slide into place when inflated. Can't the same be used with tubed tyres?

It should be fairly obvious if something on the bike is bent. The problem is more likely with the bike fit. Check if the saddle height and other basics are near optimal. See http://wheel-easy.org.uk/wp-content/upl ... -2017a.pdf . What is the crank length? short cranks are easier on the knees than long ones.

PS: Colin beat me to it!

You probably want something in between the two types. Road bikes tend to have fairly high gears and low handlebars so not ideal for someone trying to build up fitness. Mountain bikes tend to have lower gears but are heavier and aren't so efficient on roads. Is your area fairly flat or hilly? This will influence the gearing choice. I think the bike you need used to be called a "hybrid".

This https://www.merlincycles.com/dmr-hinged ... 65637.html will go small enough to clamp on a 27.2 seatpost. I bought one with the intention of using it for the purpose you propose although at the moment it has not needed. A shim, as already proposed, is the first line of attack. On a previous bike I used several layers of aluminium foil to achieve the same effect.

I've concluded that 2x is much less hassle than 3x as there is far less gear overlap and it's much easier to set up the front derailleur. A super-compact pair of chainrings (eg 46 /30) combined with a wide range (eg 11 - 42) cassette will give about the same range as the traditional triple but more than any 1x system and also a wider range than the Rohloff hub gear although the uniform gear steps of the latter are a significant advantage. I think I've ended up with what can be called a gravel bike as I want a bike that's happy on roads but also good on gravel tracks although the main requirement is comfort on the potholed and patched roads that are becoming increasingly abundant in England. I've recently changed to drop bars in order to reduce the drag when fighting headwinds. Flared drops provide both a narrower hand position on the hoods and a wider hand position on the drops.

I would suggest that you read http://www.sjscycles.com/thornpdf/thorn ... ochure.pdf. I'm not recommending the specific products, although the Mercury might tick the right boxes (but the stock of frames is low), but the document discusses many of the relevant issues. Spa Cycles offer a wide range of potentially suitable bikes with an even wider range of options based on standard parts so if something needs to be changed in the future then it's relatively easy.

Consider building something based on the Spa Cycles Elan frame, 650B wheels (which will take at least 50mm tyres in that frame) and 2 x gearing. Not as light as a full carbon bike but somewhat more durable.

wormscoffer wrote: ↑26 Apr 2024, 2:07pm Then......I have the hydraulic callipers (post mount frame, flat mount callipers) to wrestle with.

This https://www.merlincycles.com/wolf-tooth ... 71466.html ?

mjr wrote: ↑26 Apr 2024, 10:32am There are many more cars than lorries and I am sure we all know roads which see no or almost no lorries which are broken to pieces.

But those few lorries can cause a lot of damage. Using the 4th power law noted above, a 2T car with two axles (ie axle load of 1T) has a damaging effect of 2 (2 axles x 1T^4). Compare that with a 40T lorry with 5 axles (ie average axle load of 8T) has a damaging effect of 5 x 8^4 = 5 x 4096 = 20480. ie one big fully loaded lorry has the damaging effect of 10,000 fairly heavy cars. This isn't reflected in the annual HGV road fund licence charges. If it were then supply chains would be revised to reduce the amount of lorry haulage.

I've used both the KMC Z1 (narrow) and the KMC X8 (both are 3/32" width) on my Rohloff bike without problems. The likely reasons for the chain coming off are either that it's excessively slack or that sprocket/chainring are excessively worn or, if it's a new chainring, it's made for a wide (1/8") single speed chain and a 3/32" chain isn't properly mesh with it.

There's guidance for the appropriate chain tension on page 12 of the Thorn bike user manual http://www.sjscycles.com/thornpdf/Thorn ... al2Web.pdf.

wjhall wrote: ↑25 Apr 2024, 10:28am Both 800 and 158 original cycle spaces were designed to nationalised industry or government requirements. Unfortunately most of the 800 series are provided under a government contract so GWR's ability to do anything about them is limited.

The primary design objective of the 8xx series was to maximise the number of seats so they could claim xx% increase in the number of seats available in the rush hour. Originally there were going to be more cycle cupboards (clearly designed by someone who doesn't use a bike) but, at a late stage in the design, someone decided to turn some into cupboards for the catering trolleys. Eventually, with non-commuter passengers forming a greater proportion of the total there could be a change in the seating and luggage (including bike) space, but it's unlikely to happen until there's a major refurbishment.