VintageSteelEU

Sprockets on the freewheel I was working on are still soaking the penetrating oil and I didn't have much time to get back to cleaning it. But I got another Suntour Cyclone FD. Good condition, overall, and cleaned up nicely. Not even that much grime on it. The only issue was flaking chrome on the inside of the cage plates. I didn't feel I like the idea of the chain transporting flakes of chrome plating all over the drivetrain, so I gently removed the flaky bits with a grinding bit on a rotary tool. All moving parts got some oil and it's now ready to go on the Superator to finish the build.

RCMoeur 

Earlier today, I had high expectations as I saddled up my big ol' chrome cruiser for the ride down to the co-op. Alas, less than a mile in, I was assailed by horrible crunching cracking noises from the bottom bracket. Abort and back to base.

After a crazy shift at the co-op involving odd chains, adult tricycles, and even a near-brawl, and then taking out the trash, recycle, kitty poop, and bunny byproducts, I decided to diagnose the problem while fresh in my memory. So I herniated hoisted the bike onto the stand and started wrenching under an appropriately full moon.




Turned out it was a seriously loose fixed cup in a removable adapter, compounded by munged threads in the bottom bracket spindle. After disassembly, tapping and di, er, thread chasing, mentally calculating the right amount of Loctite to balance semi-permanent security vs. eventual maintenance, and reassembly, it seems the clunky cracking has been banished and the bike is back in heavy-haul action. So maybe I'll ride it to the co-op next week.

bikingshearer 

How could you hear the crunching bottom bracket over that saddle. those handlebars, the spokes, the pump, etc.?

RCMoeur 

Wisdom is achieved when one can be both loud and silent at the same time.

And I figure it's my bike and I'm spending my time on it, so I don't want it to be all that boring or mundane. It makes me happy, in spite of the unavoidable "quality workout" it provides. And if other riders are quite happy with black matte graphics on black matte frames with black matte wheels and black matte tires, that's OK too.

But this bike is never truly silent, in that Wald baskets are notorious for singing the song of their tribe, fortunately not all that loudly unless I'm hauling loose metal parts in them. And there was a big difference between that level of sound and what I was hearing - and feeling - from the bottom bracket yesterday. All fixed now.

bikingshearer 

I was just funnin' with ya. "It makes me happy." That's all the justification needed, regardless of what I or anyone else might think.

I personally would not go the "explosion in a paint factory" route, nor would I go the black-on-black route. But if forced to choose one or the other, I'd take your color palette in a heartbeat.

Tailwinds, and keep the rubber side down.

PromptCritical 

Building up a bike for my daughter with parts I’ve collected and an eBay frame. I was going to put on a Shimano drivetrain, but after all the trouble I’ve had with our tandem and its Shimano system, I decided to use a SRAM Eagle 12-speed combo (900 hub, XDR Driver, 10-30 cassette and trigger shifter).

I’m incredibly impressed with the engineering attention to detail, the nice touches, how easily it went together and how well it works. The engineers that designed this setup must also work on bikes!

Ran into a snag with the front disc brake, so it’s not rideable yet (I’m now a convert to Centerlock discs), but I love ❤️ Ho it shifts on the stand. Reminds me of paddle shifters on my jalopy!