Cycling UK Forum

Sorry to resurect an old thread, but this naturally follows on..

I am about to repurpose an FHRM66 freehub into a slightly different rarer, hard to get body (Y4FL98400) essentially by changing the seal.

Im about to order the seal, Shimano FH-M495-A Rear Right Seal Ring - Y3CR08000 and recall having issues swapping them in the past.

Probably getting them out, but i'm also concerned about damaging the seal pushing it in can @brucey offer any tips on getting them past the threads without damage?


Finally I am hoping to refurb the old unit (its currently oozing gunge in a jar of brake cleaner) and have it ready as a hot swap spare. Can anyone confirm ill need 50x 1/8 ball bearing for the internals. Is there a source for springs and pawls - before I start making them / scrouging old free hub bodies from the LBS?

it is not difficult to envisage a hybrid system whereby short brake cables run (via 'v'-pipes if necessary) from purely mechanical STIs/ERGOs to truncated flat bar levers, mounted beneath the stem, eg. on an accessory bracket. Good solderless nipples (eg. SA ones) would allow a very secure coupling to be made. This may be advantageous in two different ways;

1) it should be far less costly vs HyRd calipers.

2) it should work well out of the box; better than HyRds, because there is more hydraulic and much less cable involved.

Note also that HyRd calipers are designed with shimano's NSSLR cable pull in mind. This often means that they don't work at all well with the slightly shorter pull of campag levers.

Finally note that this scheme takes full advantage of the relatively low cost of flat bar hydraulics.

fatmac wrote: ↑5 May 2025, 6:09pm You need to set up your saddle first before attempting to sort out your reach.

With the crank horizontal, the ball of your foot on the pedal, your knee joint should be perpendicular above the pedal spindle. From there, you adjust your reach, depending on how you prefer to sit.

I'm not disagreeing as such but the old "knee over pedal spindle" is more of a sizing tool than a precise bike fit method.
It doesn't account for individual variations in anatomy, flexibility, or riding style, it doesn't necessarily relate perfectly to modern geometry bikes either nor is it a substitute for a professional bike fit, which considers the rider's specific needs.

That said (and as 531colin highlights), it is the very FIRST part of bike fit, not something you consider once you've fitted all manner of scaffolding to the front of the bike.

There's a secondary method related to "knee over pedal spindle" concerning the degree of bend at the knee at the bottom of the pedal stroke but frankly the OP could be messing around with this until the cows come home and still not get it right; there are clearly physical / pain issues which may well mean that a "traditional" fit is off the cards and - from the couple of other threads on this - they're going into it with about 1/3rd of a clue rather than a full clue. As the old saying goes, a little knowledge is a dangerous thing...

You need to set up your saddle first before attempting to sort out your reach.

With the crank horizontal, the ball of your foot on the pedal, your knee joint should be perpendicular above the pedal spindle. From there, you adjust your reach, depending on how you prefer to sit.

Judging by the present setup, you may want to fit a stump neck stem, to bring the bars back & higher.

Of course there is the possibility that, if you keep things long enough, they become relatively rare and therefore can fetch good prices on the second-hand market.

Today, whilst building yet another bike from what I have in the stores, I found a few items which I have no need for including a Shimano 1" threaded headset (new in box). Out of interest I looked on ebay and they're fetching £100, presumably going to the retro market. I'm sure I didn't pay more than £15 for it in the 2000's.

Probably not a reliable way to invest though!

reohn2 wrote: ↑5 May 2025, 4:22pm

Lance Dopestrong wrote: ↑5 May 2025, 3:44pm He's proud to be British, but not proud enough to have served his country in uniform.

There are limits,you know.

Does he have to "have served his country in uniform" to have an opinion.

.

No, and I never stated, implied, or even hinted that he did.

But the OP's opening post was not stated as an opinion.

Lance Dopestrong wrote: ↑5 May 2025, 3:44pm He's proud to be British, but not proud enough to have served his country in uniform.

There are limits,you know.

Does he have to "have served his country in uniform" to have an opinion.

I haven't served "my country in uniform" and don't feel particularly proud of at least some of what it's done in the recent past.
I'm not a proud of my country right or wrong type.
As a UK citizen my opinion of the country is just as valid as anyone else's opinion.
As for celebrating VE day I'm glad and proud my country played a huge part in defeating Nazism in the last century,however some of the things it has been involved in since WW2 leave a lot to be desired IMHO,the way it treats it's service and exservice men and women leaves a lot to be desired.

He's proud to be British, but not proud enough to have served his country in uniform.

There are limits,you know.

Wow, I didn't see all of the responses before the last post, some interesting options there too. I saw the post with the eBay listing and jumped straight on it. When they wear out I'll try one of these other suggestions, thank you!

Yes, there does seem to be something unusual about the way you have that saddle set, because unless you have exceptionally short thighs for your overall leg-length it looks too far forward, and that may mean that it’s also too high.

If you can be sure that the saddle is right, then it might be possible to get the front right for whatever back angle suits you.

Also, the hoods look tilted up, which I’ve seen people do in an attempt to sort of brace themselves against leaning forward, which in turn is symptomatic of too much weight on the arms.

DevonDamo wrote: ↑5 May 2025, 2:20pm

Philip Benstead wrote: ↑5 May 2025, 2:09pmI suggest you read the news and some history books.

Okay, have done. The big theme in recent news has been that the far right are doing very well out of stirring up anti-immigration sentiment. And as far as the history books are concerned, the big story from the 1930s was the rise of the Nazi party, ultimately leading to WW2 and the holocaust.

So you're saying that you want a Nazi government and genocide?

No I am a card carry member of the Labour Party. Look at the action and in action of all political partys and there reponce to Trump and Purtin they are following a path that may lead to war. UK is currenty increasing its production of munitions.

Hi,

18 months ago I made a silly purchase, and bought a gravel bike.

This is how it looks at the moment:



I need to get a more upright position to be comfortable on the bike, as the forward leaning position required to use the drop-bars using the current setup doesn't suit me (leads to various aches and pains).

As you can see, I have already tried:

1. Fitting an adjustable headset
2. Putting the stem as high as there is scope to allow / accommodate.
3. Fitted a much more comfortable saddle (not shown on the photo)

However, despite that, I still need the bars to be higher.

On option would be to use a steerer tube extender - though I can't do that at the moment as the cables are too short to allow that.

However - if I wanted lots more scope for moving the bars up and down, would the only option be to have new forks fitted, and for a lot more space to be left above the frame on which to secure the handlebar stem (subject to using lots of spacers I think)? Plus fitting longer cables to allow that.

Thanks

Jim

AndyB1 wrote: ↑4 May 2025, 6:20pm a group of around 10 cyclists, one behind the other, riding out of Langport to the West. The road there is uphill, with poor visibility ahead, but their group riding style with gaps between riders allowed the car ahead of me to safely overtake.

I would tend to assume that if a group was strung out with such big gaps between some riders, it was probably not intentional and more likely to be the result of varying levels of fitness/tiredness. I would not expect a group of around 10 cyclists to create multiple gaps intentionally for overtaking drivers to be able to pull into, because it unnecessarily increases the risks. Similarly, as a driver I would not want to put myself in the middle of a group of cyclists, and I would not consider overtaking in that manner to be safe.

OK, 25 mm rims suggests a tyre width of between:

1.75x25=43.75mm

and

2.25x25=56.25mm

Personally, for Norfolk, where the worst I’ve met are some fairly modest tree roots, I’d probably go for 45-584 G-one Allrounds if that size exists, and start with them at whatever pressure the Silca calculator recommends for “Grade 1” gravel, adjusting thereafter on the basis of experience.

You might find a lower pressure works better for any “sand bogs”, of which there are some in places like Thetford Forest and near Wells Beach, but if you do go very low, you’ll find it gets really irritating on the road sections!

The other thought I’d offer is that it is possible to overthink all this stuff, especially when riding over a rich mix of surfaces, because if you super-optimise for one very particular surface, it’ll inevitably be wrong everywhere else, and you aren’t in a race where every last Watt counts.

Personally, my bikes get fitted with compromise gravel tyres, and I then proceed to ride over all sorts, loaded or unloaded, until the tyres wear out! That means I'm rarely in the land of perfection tyre-wise, but it’s surprising how seldom I run out of traction, or really curse the drag (really steep uphills on road are the only place where I miss narrower, smoother, harder tyres).

Anyone out there tried the Schwalbe SX-R BMX 20´´Tyres?. They look if they may possibly be a decent tyre for recumbents.