MooneyBloke

My answer is that I save the latex tubes from spent sew-ups, and buy the large tube of rubber cement from my local auto parts store. One layer is good for a latex tubed sew-up, and two for the butyl tubed errand bike.

malcala622

Pepsi cycling cap

MooneyBloke

You still wind up with a better selection than I if you're cruising that auction site. Same deal with shoes as I take a typical Euro width 41 and want a four bolt bottom. (Scarce as hens teeth I tell ya!)

Aardwolf

Stem day (already polished)



And I've now discovered Velo Heaven: https://www.velo-heaven.co.uk/
Which has cheap dropout adjusters and did have Welsh bar plugs, but I got the last set

75lechamp 

Brings back memories of hanging out in Boulder back in 1978....

sjanzeir

Latest deliveries by Saudi Post and Amazon:

- New NX shifter; new-bike-takeoff RD:



They've found their way onto my Hemingway to replace the factory nine-speed L-twoo A7 shifter/RD that have been acting up lately, and I'm fixing to do the same for the Jetstream, whose L-twoo A9 11-speed "upgrade" (from factory eight-speed Altus) hasn't been the best of pals recently. That very same A9 groupset had lived for well over a year on the Hemingway previously before I moved it over to the Jetstream, where its shifting issues shone through. Say what you will about brand name obsession, but the SRAMs are infinitely nicer.

- A bunch of these:

The bandits over at the Big Ali call them C/S clips for some unfathomable reason! It turn out that, just like cable ferrules and end caps, you can't have too many of them, and it's good to have th.

- Some of these GUB (that's the brand) ferrules:

They aquit themselves quite well compared to Jagwires, but the finish isn't quite as good. Nevertheless, they're cheap and they work.

- PlA couple of polarized, photochromic shades:



For something in the range of five bucks each, delivered, they work as advertised.

- This Litepro 29cm handlepost:



The one that came stock on the Jetstream felt like it put the handlebar about two inches too low - a fact that I was able to verify with the help of this Litepro stem that I had lying around for no reason, which is 50mm center to center. I even used the bike with the stem installed as shown, but with just four 5mm bolts holding everything in place and much leverage pushing and pulling around, this was never going to be safe. The only issue is that the new handlepost is tilted less forward than the MTB-like original, so now the cockpit, while being the right height, feels a tad too close in reach, but it's nothing I can't live with. Besides, the Litepro handlepost (right) has a much nicer, far more secure, all-metal locking mechanism than the factory original with its stupid, easy-to-break plastic pad:



- A pair of Meroca mechanical disk brakes. What I really wanted was those adapters:



They're CPS, allowing for easier caliper positioning, especially around non-standard rotors (such as the 165mm ones I'm running on my Hemingway.) The calipers with the adapters were actually cheaper to order than the adapters alone, so there you go.

- This bike stand:



In terms of quality, it's a far cry from this Super B:



But for an outrageously exorbitant 10 bucks off of Amazon Saudi Arabia and same-day delivery, it does what it does, I guess!

- And finally, to prove that I'm a total cheapskate (and dumbass,) the cheapest Shimano B-type ceramic pads I could dig out of Bug Bad Ali's Den if Wonders:

Ten pairs for 12 bucks and free delivery to my doorstep in Jeddah ain't nothing to sniff at!

Kai Winters

Silca Super Secret wax...works great. Chain is quieter than just plain wax.

Murray Missile 

I was hoping for a 1 X crankset I had ordered but no such luck however, a "fix" for my other addiction was there......... an all original unrestored 1950's Tootsietoy Mack "L" dump truck.

2cam16

Sweet! Sadly all my Tootsies are long gone. lol

1989Pre 

Bought this N.O.S. RH30 high-flange rear hub in 2000. Finally had to get the bearings replaced, and Royce was the only ones who could do it. One of the earliest cartridge-bearing hubs. Very nice.

USAZorro

Game changer. No more swearing at dull hacksaw blades, vise slippage or seatposts, and finally have no more excuses for not having DIY windchimes.

smontanaro 

Will these cut high quality bike tubing (like Reynolds 531 or 753, for example)? I think I know the answer, but I wanted to be sure and you weren't explicit about what you expect to use them for.

USAZorro

I honestly do not know. My immediate need was shortening an alloy seat post. (recently got a tandem and the post on the captain's saddle bottomed out about 1/2" higher than ideal). gugie or Doug Fattic or John Thompson or one of our other frame builders may already know the answer, and I figure it's a matter of time before I come across something suitable to experiment on. (one of those rear-triangle shop stools is a mild aspiration).

But for me, the precision these provide is astounding - plus it's simple and nearly foolproof. It also puts experimentation with wind chimes much more easily within reach (pipe cutter + drill press + wood lathe) - something I might enjoy doing and making some pocket change post-retirement.

AdventureManCO 

Here is the one I use for cutting alloy and stuff. The smaller one may take longer, but it will work. I'd imagine it would be tough to use on cro-moly.

In keeping with the spirit of the thread, I got this stuff the other day, which will keep my dumbest project moving forward:


High quality, custom-sized parts for a un-high quality bike



The start of much more work for me

SurferRosa

A pipe cutter is great for aluminum posts, even the little ones they market for plumbing copper.

jamesdak 

Got some nice Dura Ace 7800 brakes, RD, and FD in yesterday. Got them for the Cannodale to see if I can get it another oz or two lighter than the 15 lbs 14 ozs it's at. Silly yes.

52telecaster

A worthy goal!

sjanzeir

I know how terrible that feels. Between the mid-70s abd early 90s, I used to collect Majorette cars (back when they were still made of metal and made in France.) I had quite the collection, and some of my faves were the 450SE with the caravan, Alpine A310 gendarmerie, and Saab 900 Turbo:







After my parents' divorce in 1994, my mom and I left plenty of things behind (including my Majorettes and a huge cache of Legos.) My dad's new kids eventually got their hands on my old toys. When I told my little brother I wanted my Majorette collection back, he was totally embarrassed to say that he took my Majorette collection over to his aunt's house to play there one afternoon and somehow ended up losing the entire stash. I was livid, but he was just a kid, after all. Now he's an adult with a college degree and a job and the little rascal is trying to get his hands on my new collection! No way, josé!

GhostRider62

A new hockey helmet and a Brooks saddle.

tendency

Big shout out to Catnap who pointed me the way to this beauty. Original offset fork built by 3Rensho for their Specialized Allez. I purchased one of 3Rensho's Allez's but the previous owner had replaced fork w/ carbon. Next step, extend steerer then return Allez to original specs.



offset crown goodness:



Shimano ends likely make this one of their earlier Allez forks, as I recall the last year or two were made w/ campy ends.

merziac

WOW, you one lucky boy!

Aardwolf

Ooooh Shiney:



New Specialites TA Pro 5 Vis 52/36 chainrings from https://www.veloduo.co.uk/

Stronglight 49D should be arriving tomorrow (with 50/44)

edit: It turned up, importantly it had all the right bolts and spacers

chiefkurtz 

Reach on my 84 Fuji isn't long enough. Got this cosmetically challenged stem on eBay for a good price. Wet sanded it and got most of the bad gouges out. Before and after photos.

JohnDThompson 

3Rensho had the same problem with Shimano UF dropouts we saw: the right rear dropout had a tendency to crack at the chainstay tab. Their solution was the same as ours: switch to Campagnolo 1010B dropouts.

MooneyBloke

There's a bit of nostalgia. My main LBS had a bunch of these when I was a kid, but I don't think they have any now.