Cycling UK Forum

I have just built my first wheel, although to be fair it was a rim transplant using an RS100 rim off a wheel which had a broken hub onto a RS100 wheel which had the rim wear indicator just disappearing.
The spokes still need more tension when compared to another RS100 wheel I have. There is about 2mm out of round and 2mm side to side movement. The dish looks fine. There seems a lot of variation in spoke tension. Going around the drive side seems alternate tight then loose for some reason.
The question is what order to go from here. Do I true the wheel as best possible first? or try to even out the spoke tension then true the wheel.
When truing the wheel should try to get it round first (radial) then sort out the lateral movement or the other way round?
Also what kind of tolerance should I aim for, I thinking maybe 0.5mm.
This is really a learning exercise as the rim is already half worn and will probably be used as a backup winter wheel.
Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

There should be also be a crinkle washer between the nut and the frame to stop the assembly rotating.

I think you mean taco. If the wheel is pretzel shape there is something seriously wrong. Maybe pringle would be better.

The report is referring to using flashing lights in daylight and dusk conditions. I think in these conditions they do improve visibility, although I can see why at night time a flashing light may make it harder to judge distance and position than a solid light. I only cycle in daylight/dusk these days and use a flashing red rear if the light level is dropping or if its foggy or raining.

maximus meridius wrote: ↑28 Jul 2023, 12:26am

Bmblbzzz wrote: ↑27 Jul 2023, 9:10pm Non-padded bib longs are definitely available. Lusso do them, for one. I'm not aware of unpadded bib shorts though – but I've never looked for them.

Thanks. Lusso seem to do unpadded bib longs in both summer and winter versions. Spa have got them in (unpadded). I'm on the border of medium and large. Have you worn them? Do you think they come up small or large?

I suppose if I'm determined to have unpadded bib shorts I could buy the longs, and then take them to my pet clothing adjuster, and get her to take the legs off.

do you clothe all your pets?

I first used 'padded' shorts in the early nineties, these were real chamois and the pad was there to prevent the seams in the shorts from chaffing. Synthetic materials replaced the chamois but was still quite thin, just enough to stop the seams chaffing. The saddle I used (and still use) has about 2cm of padding so most of the padding is provided by the saddle.
What I have noticed trying to find a replacement saddle is that the saddle have got much firmer and now shorts can have up to 2cm of padding so the padding has transferred from saddle to shorts.
I much prefer the padding in the saddle as thick padded shorts get uncomfortably hot for me causing the chaffing they were originally designed to prevent. The search for a suitable replacement saddle continues.

What seems to have happened over the last couple of decades is that padding has transferred from saddle to shorts. I am not sure what (if any) advantage this is. I find overly thick padding in shorts uncomfortably hot in the summer. Have a look at DHB classic for a less sculpted pad which is not overly thick. I dont like the thick multi-panel type (like an armadillo in your shorts), there are to many folds and bumps which can cause abrasion. Maybe its a ploy to sell the 'chamois cream', something I fortunately havent needed so far.

The last time I tried to remove by BB it was stuck solid - has been since the mid nineties when I fitted it. It is still perfectly functional although does creak occasionally although this is the shells I think. Its done about 100k but still feels smooth, UN55 I think.
I recently shifted the seatpost which had been stuck for at least five years - fortunately not to badly corroded but I will not be using lithium grease again for this, it had set solid. Plusgas (into bottle cage screw), heatgun, hammer (applied gently) and then two screwdrivers clamped in to where the rails go so they were in opposite directions finally worked.
The headset (and hence quill) gets regular attention as this develops play every few months.

My rear mech (RD6500) has begun making occasional ticks and pops, most noticeable going big to big (53/40 front, 23/12 rear) but still happens down to 53 front, 15 rear. It is not really noticeable on the smaller front ring.
I noticed the pivot bolt (top one with the b-screw attached) had become stiff so was not always sitting in the same place. I have dismantled, cleaned and rebuilt this part of the mech and it now feels much smoother but I still get the same noise. The pulley is sitting about 10mm from the cassette (40 front, 23 rear) so I tried tweaking the b screw. The bscrew does not appear to be making any difference to the position of the pulley (I have tried the full range of settings).
Is it possible the spring in the pivot has lost its grunt? It is fairly chunky and there was a lot of resistance when I reinstalled it but I dont understand why else the pulley will not move closer to the cassette.
Does anyone have experience servicing rear mechs or found they need to replace this spring?

There should be a drain hole in the rims for this. I get water in the rims going through deep puddles and standing water. I leave the bike with the drain holes at the bottom for a couple of hours to empty.

looks like there is a marker on the bottom left of the photo ( about 7 o'clock)

I have recently been struggling to find a replacement for my 30 year old viscount saddle. This looks very similar in shape to the brooks narrow saddles which are both narrower and much more rounded in profile left to right at the mid point than most modern design saddles.
The saddles I have recently tried are fabric scoop and fabric line but although I was beginning to find them comfortable after a few weeks, I kept getting pain in my upper hamstring about 4cm in front of my sit bones (mostly on the right side). I think this is due to being bashed by the edge of the saddle where it starts to narrow. As a result I have gone back to my old saddle and the search for a replacement continues.
Saddle design seems to be going towards a wedge shape which doesnt seem to agree with me. It is possible that my narrow sitbones and highish saddle position are not helping (I can do something about the latter maybe).
I did find tilting the saddle nose down helped a bit but then you end up pushing back with you arms to avoid sliding forward.
I do wonder whether the reason some find the brooks style saddles comfortable is as much the classic shape as it is the material (I am trying to avoid a leather saddle)

I have always referred to this as a positive ape index where your wingspan is greater than your height. Mine is 183cm-173cm so 10cm positive. I have just measured this and appear to have lost 5cm in height that I was unaware of! 63 years of gravity I assume.

Bonefishblues wrote: ↑16 Jun 2023, 3:36pm

bluespeeder wrote: ↑16 Jun 2023, 3:28pm

Bonefishblues wrote: ↑16 Jun 2023, 3:12pm
This is also prevalent near us, sadly - and they are way more dangerous to a cyclist than these indentations, I'd suggest.

We have plenty of these kind of cracks here too, but they are much easier to see and avoid. The problem is you end up weaving all over the place in an attempt to find the cleanest line avoiding potholes, cracks, indentations and then the passing motorist wonders why you are so far from the edge of the road.

You say that, but I can show you places where the unwary cyclist who hasn't used a road before can be funnelled into a diminishing gap between the crevasses

I know of a number of places around here where if you go left of the first pothole you get forced further and further left until you reach the BIG one. Knowing the roads certainly helps but eventually there becomes no clean route through the obstacles then I suppose its time for a gravel bike.

Bonefishblues wrote: ↑16 Jun 2023, 3:12pm

Nearholmer wrote: ↑16 Jun 2023, 2:58pm
There are some seriously damaged and subsided country roads near where I live, one or two that I wouldn’t cycle along after dark because they have deep and wide longitudinal cracks in them, and the county council discharges its accountability by putting up warning notices saying “Failed Road Surface”, which I think translates to “use at your peril”.

This is also prevalent near us, sadly - and they are way more dangerous to a cyclist than these indentations, I'd suggest.

We have plenty of these kind of cracks here too, but they are much easier to see and avoid. The problem is you end up weaving all over the place in an attempt to find the cleanest line avoiding potholes, cracks, indentations and then the passing motorist wonders why you are so far from the edge of the road.