realmac

Having two issues. Trying to upgrade the brakes on my bike to dual pivot. The kit I ordered a few months ago lacks a bolt long enough to go through the frame. I'm not sure what I should be ordering exactly.

Pyramid - Dual Pivot Front & Rear Bicycle Brake Caliper for $22.

Also I was riding the other day at night and the bike pedaling felt a bit off.


In the garage I noticed that this ring was hanging right off. How do I tighten it up? There is a special tool I'm going to need but I'm not sure what it's called. Also may be upgrading the pedals on here. Any suggestions?
The bike was $185. I'm happy with it overall but want to upgrade to something that can go faster but won't brake the bank. Might do the minimum fixes this one then upgrade in a few months.

Kimmo 

Looks like the kind of bike that came with nutted brakes where the mounting bolt pokes through the frame, and you've bought recessed-mount brakes.

NBD, You just need to drill out the back hole on the fork to fit the recessed nut, and the front hole on your brake bridge (probably need to use a pair of visegrips holding the drillbit).

Your brake bridge is probably just a plain tube with a hole through it; I'd recommend using the profiled washers from your old brake there, and drilling out one so the recessed nut fits through it.

As for your cranks, two parts have come loose there; your bottom bracket's adjustable cup and lockring. You can sort this out with a hammer and a screwdriver.

Hand-tighten the cup until the play in the BB disappears (hold the end of the crank and the frame, and try to wiggle the crank from side to side). Overtighten it a bit, just using your hand (this should compensate for the fact it gets a bit looser when the lockring's tightened). Now hand-tighten the lockring, then carefully line up a slot screwdriver to transfer the force properly when you tap the end with a hammer - you need to shift the angle as the lockring rotates. As it tightens, change slots a couple of times around the BB to help it settle.

Check for play again, if it's loose or too tight, undo and try again. If you can get a spanner onto the BB cup that'll help if it's giving you trouble, but you may need another pair of hands.

Tools to do the job more properly would be a lockring spanner AKA C spanner (spanner=wrench), and a BB spanner for that type, or I'd just use a cone wrench (16mm IIRC).

I don't think you should throw much money at this bike; you want something a bit more decent than this as a basis for upgrades. Of course, you could always transfer a few bits like pedals etc onto another bike...

I wouldn't be in a hurry to upgrade the pedals unless you're talking about clipless... but I'd keep an eye out for Shimano's toe-clip pedals from the 80s; they're pretty much the ultimate for a toeclip pedal.

I'd say your best bet is to look for a nice second-hand bargain; if you're not in a hurry you should be able to find a real steal sooner or later. You could try sheriff's auctions and so forth... or have a look for local co-ops via the link in my tag.

To go fast, the first thing is your position; you need to have that dialled before anything else. Then you want gearing appropriate for the terrain; ratios as close as your required range will allow; 8s or 9s is nice. A triple crank allows for close and wide. A stiff frame, stiff cranks, bars and stem prevent lost energy; if the thing rides harsh a carbon seatpost should fix that. When it comes to wheels, which are where most of the performance happens, you have to choose between quick or fast unless you're spending big bucks. Quick wheels are light and accelerate and brake well, and fast wheels have deeper rims, fewer spokes and weigh more. I like fast wheels because I don't have to climb much, and they look great.

fietsbob

Buying better brake shoes is probably sufficient, and the bike needs some effort put out, in maintaining it.