Cycling UK Forum

The through trains that run on that route are Class 800 Azuma units (other train companies use these too,) and, from my experience, the cycle spaces are in two forms; a bike-length set-aside area open to the corridor or a open-ended compartment with wall hooks to store your bike upright (the hook is quite tight and I couldn't get my 2" tyred wheel in to one when I tried yesterday)
I can't say how these two different storage options are arranged on an individual train but platform announcements on the Western main line do explain where the cycle carriage is located.
Friday morning will, without doubt, be a better time to travel than Friday afternoon which I thoroughly recommend anyone should avoid when travelling west.

Thanks for the ideas folks.
Will try a few and get back yo you all.

I agree that, on viewing the vid kindly linked by RJ, the process is not as convoluted as I thought. Certainly a lot easier than later/current designs.
I’m currently soaking the thing in hot water to see if that softens the goo. It will click up and down two notches which I think is an improvement over the last time I tried a fair few months ago, but I’m not certain as lots of bike jobs have been and gone in the intervening time.

Rareposter.
The entire shift assembly is housed in the pivoting lever on these early units.
Yes, the cable was removed - it doesn’t suffer from cable fray like the later style shifters. The cable was pristine like the rest of the bike and the inner ran free - I replaced it and ran the shift up and down to creating mech-like spring tension with my hand to help it along, but the ratchet doesn’t engage.
I’m not keen on disassembly. Ive seen the video tutorials and I’m a bike mechanic not a watchmaker.

I’m looking for some suggestions as to how to unstick a RSX 7 speed shifter.
I’ve come across this issue many times with older Shimano and spraying loads of GT85 in the workings does the job every time.
Not this one, oooooh no. It’s from 1990’s Cannondale which, because of its age and condition, I purchased about a year ago. The bike has prob never done more than a few hundred yards since new, there’s no wear or marks on anything. Consequently the shifter has lain idle for over 20 years and although the levers move well and everything looks pristine, the internal ratcheting doesn’t work.
Its been sprayed from every angle possible and left for days/weeks with the occasional encouragement and gentle tug at the cable but no joy.
I don’t want to disassemble it myself.
Ideas?

Robing
Are you sure they did replace the whole wheel?
Given your symptoms, their difficultly finding a replacement and the relative ease of finding a 'generic' rear wheel axle, I suspect that this is what is new and the rest of the wheel is original. I say generic axle because the cones for hubs, although conforming to a common thread, are rarely interchangeable and had the originals been damaged too (very likely) the replacements that come with such an axle (see photo) might have looked similar and would give possibly acceptable adjustment when assembled by hand but would rapidly deteriorate in use under load.
Given my experiences of dealing with follow-on issues with bikes worked on by ‘that common high street retailer’ I can very much see how a less experienced mechanic could follow such a route under pressure from a senior member of staff when attempts to source a whole new wheel failed.

I’m wondering why you need this combination.
Is it because a bottle cage mount is in the way, perhaps?
It could be that a brazed-on style mech and separate mount will get you away from a bottle cage boss.

Bonefishblues wrote: ↑2 Feb 2024, 9:50pm TBF the EA hasn't got a hope in hell of policing all of these. The duty needs to be on the 'owner' of the roadway to proactively mitigate runoffs.

Now someone will tell me it is, I expect!

Firstly, ‘Environment Agency’ is a ridiculous title if they are going to ignore rural, urban, upland and coastal environments.
Secondly, the road is owned by the same authority that chose to ignore the rules on brownfield sites and allow the developers to flip the soil on site rather than remove it.

It’s where you looked the first time. You just didn’t look hard enough.

Is there a particular reason you want to use a new mech?
If not then a 9 speed Campagnolo triple would be my suggestion. I have used them with Shimano shifters on a variety of triple ratio crankset ratios and never had an issue with poor shifting.
It’s possible you might find a NOS item and might I suggest Dave Marsh at Universal Cycle Centre as a potential source. He has recently been having a clean out and, frankly, the quantity of retro Campagnolo parts he has uncovered been quite eye-popping!

‘What is it for’ is a question I found myself asking a few weeks back when I made them aware of rainwater running off a brownfield site known to be contaminated with heavy metals. The run-off was spilling onto the highway and past the gates of a terrace accessed by the road rather than a pavement thereby forcing the residents to walk through the potential contaminated water.
Their reply was that unless a watercourse was affected they would not respond.
So unless you are from a freshwater aquatic environment the Environment Agency doesn’t give a hoot.

Could be one of a number of things from ‘fixable’ to ‘throw it in the bin’.
We need photos from you to establish which.

Jdsk wrote: ↑25 Jan 2024, 8:37am Full moon?

Jonathan

I could see a partial moon through the cloud in the opposite direction.
It’s not really the same wavelength of light though.

Sort of weather related.
I had cause to get up at 4am this morning. As I wandered through the house I was aware that the sky was partially lit and the birds had started singing.
Dawn should have been 8am today.
I can only assume that the level and density of cloud cover was such that the streetlights were being reflected in a most unusual way. What I can’t explain was that the tone of the light was very dawn-ish and not at all like urban lighting, but with the birds tweeting I clearly wasn’t the only one that was convinced.

Jdsk wrote: ↑23 Jan 2024, 12:11pm Only a make to avoid. The last (!) leather boots that I had were Brasher. They failed far too early.

Jonathan

How old were they?
My first Brashers were fantastic and lasted for many years. My second, bought a year ago are ok, so far, but a quite different boot - the company had been bought out by Burghaus.