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Your Most Recent Cycling-related Repair

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Road Cycling “It is by riding a bicycle that you learn the contours of a country best, since you have to sweat up the hills and coast down them. Thus you remember them as they actually are, while in a motor car only a high hill impresses you, and you have no such accurate remembrance of country you have driven through as you gain by riding a bicycle.” -- Ernest Hemingway

Your Most Recent Cycling-related Repair

Old 03-26-18, 11:24 PM
  #76  
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Further frame repair (see post #49)
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Old 04-21-18, 04:58 PM
  #77  
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bar plugs

I lose bar plugs but I got some with bolts and I like them @ about 2.5usd from aliexp.
Bar cap by Timothy Takemoto, on Flickr
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Old 04-24-18, 06:02 PM
  #78  
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Shortened the rear brake cable housing section from brake lever to frame. I cut it a little too long (to my liking) when I replaced cables.
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Old 04-28-18, 07:29 PM
  #79  
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This repair was to a problem that I had created myself.

First of all, one can effectively double the life of Shimano bike shoe straps (which are quite expensive at about 20 USD per replacement set including spare buckles) by changing the position at which the buckle attaches to the shoe so as to use a different, non worn part of the strap.

Two Screws Enable Strap Life Doubling by Timothy Takemoto, on Flickr
There is a problem however. There is an appropriate screw hole (that means you are using the centre of your strap) and an inappropriate shoe buckle screw hole which means you are using one end of your strap. In my case since I have thin feet I should be using the further of the two holes. By using the upper hole, I am using upper part of the strap.

This means that I was able to depress the strap into the buckle so far that I COULD NOT GET MY SHOES OFF! This problem has happened to others on this forum. I find that pushing a screwdriver up from the bottom and levering the ratchet to release the strap is a non optimal workable way to get out of the shoes.

Shoe Can NOT be Removed by Timothy Takemoto, on Flickr

However, I also note that the part of the shoe buckle that overlaps with the top of the strap, preventing depression and cause one to get stuck inside ones shoes, does not exist in older versions of the Shimano carbon soled shoe.

Older Shimano Did not have Flare by Timothy Takemoto, on Flickr
I chopped the flared part off with a wire cutter and grinder. Now even if I depress my straps to their fullest, the buckle will not overlap with the base of the strap, so I will not get stuck in my shoes. The image below shows what my shoe looks like after cutting and grinding.

20180429_095026.jpg by Timothy Takemoto, on Flickr

Last edited by timtak; 04-29-18 at 07:09 AM.
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Old 04-28-18, 11:12 PM
  #80  
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New chains for both bikes today. Was giving my black mountain Cycles a good drivetrain cleaning and discovered I’d been riding around with a chain that had a sheared off faceplate end on one of the links. How it stayed together I’ll never know. Was a kmc 11.93 11spd chain. Wish I’d taken a pic of it before I chucked it. Don’t know whether to praise or curse the integrity of this chain for holding together/breaking in the first place, or my watts/lack of lol
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Old 08-09-18, 08:43 PM
  #81  
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Originally Posted by MagicHour
New chains for both bikes today. Was giving my black mountain Cycles a good drivetrain cleaning and discovered I’d been riding around with a chain that had a sheared off faceplate end on one of the links. How it stayed together I’ll never know. Was a kmc 11.93 11spd chain. Wish I’d taken a pic of it before I chucked it. Don’t know whether to praise or curse the integrity of this chain for holding together/breaking in the first place, or my watts/lack of lol
You might have been able to mend the chain with a KNC missing link. Not that you would have wanted to if the chain was old, but it is a possibility.

I was cycling around on a crunchy missing link that disappeared half way up a hill. I have bought three spares and will replace them when they stop being smooth.

Apart from missing link replacements, I have put shoe heel gel inserts in the pads in my gloves. Lately there are cycling gloves with think (5-8mm) pads on the palms and sides of the palms but they tend to be more than 20USD in bike shops.

I just bought the gel pads for a few cents here (but there are many gel pad sellers on ebay etc)
https://www.ebay.com/itm/6-X-Silicon...72.m2749.l2649

And sewed one into my right and finding that still a bit thin, two pads into my left glove. The gloves are old but feel like new.
Heel Gel Pads in Cycling Gloves by Timothy Takemoto, on Flickr

Recommended.
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Old 08-09-18, 10:58 PM
  #82  
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The latest blinky holder,

& while we're at it, the world's ugliest top tube bag.
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Old 08-22-18, 01:26 AM
  #83  
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Originally Posted by timtak
Rather than "Your Most Recent Cycling-related Purchase" what is your most recent cycling related repair? New is good but repair is cheaper.
Shimano Cycling Shoes Word Down at Heel by Timothy Takemoto, on Flickr

Carbonology Carbon Patch by Timothy Takemoto, on Flickr
My old Shimano shoes (the patched soles of which are pictured above) are old, but functionally
they are not all that different from when they were new, but the were looking really old, worn,
and boring. Yesterday I sewed up the heel lining and painted them orange.

Orange by Timothy Takemoto, on Flickr
How long they last I am not sure. The paint is water based acrylic from a dollar store, with
some sticky back fluorescent tape on the straps.

They match my Arsuxeo orange jersey @15USD from aliexpress. (the zippers of which are weak)
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/ARSU...742723327.html
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Old 12-25-18, 07:02 PM
  #84  
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Straps, Fairings and Reflectivity

My fluorescent painted Shimano's lost their paint, and the cleat became misaligned causing a worrying
knee injury, so I purchased a pair of bright yellow, super-light, Mavic Zxellium shoes for less than 20USD
on Japanese ebay: yahoo auctions Japan. (I used some snipe software. Don't put your cycling equipment
on auction without a high start price or minimum price reserve because there are often no bidders in the
winder of our discycling). I promptly broke the super light ratchet strap.


Ratchet straps are a way for shoe manufacturers to make some cash. They are sold with the ratchet
at 25 USD plus postage for a total of 40USD, twice the prices of the shoes, when the piece of plastic
is worh less than a dollar. I looked into using wide cable ties, Bei Blade spinning top launcher ratchets,
or the ratchet straps from other shoes but they were all too thin or too wide. Then I realised that I could
swap out both the strap and the ratchet from an old pair of Shimanos. Since the bite point is different the
strap is effectively new.



Mavic Mended with Shimano by Timothy Takemoto, on Flickr


I also think that if I swap my ratchet and straps between shoes and even just between feet, the bite
point will be different so I will have greater ratchet longevity. I am still hoping for some cable ties to
fit however.


Recently as you can see from the above photo, I made myself some bright shoe toe covers -- only
my toes get cold so they are as good as full covers as far as I am concerned but then I realised that
I could also use PET (soda) bottle covers with a hole cut for the cleat, which saves sewing. The left
one is pink in respect to my inner girl, or Jesus.



Bottle and Shoe Covers by Timothy Takemoto, on Flickr


I also put my handlebar fairings back on since the weather is cold. They are GREAT! But they only
work for people who use their drops all the time. If you use your drops and it is cold where you are,
then rush to fit some. The method is described earlier in the thread.


Bolted to Hoods: Brilliant by Timothy Takemoto, on Flickr


My wife made me some wider reflective ankle straps too.

And did those feet by Timothy Takemoto, on Flickr

Why bike shoe toe covers only come in stealth black I am not sure.
This year I have added some reflective strips to my handle fairings, and I am going to add more.

May you be warm and glow.

Last edited by timtak; 12-25-18 at 10:18 PM.
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Old 12-26-18, 01:17 AM
  #85  
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Helmet padding, jog wheels, and elastic shoe laces

I changed the padding on my helmet. One can purchase replacement helmet padding from about 15 USD from aliexpress I think but I never seem to take it off an wash it (I find it disintegrates) so, rather than velcro helmet padding, some simple self adhesive padding would be fine. I found some shoe heel pads at 20c a pad and three seem to do the trick for 60 cents (or about 60 yen).


Shoe Heel Pads as Helmet Padding by Timothy Takemoto, on Flickr

I also have bought some dérailleur jog/pulley wheels, and a rear light and some elastic shoelaces from China. They all arrived at the same time on Christmas day.


Bike Bits from China by Timothy Takemoto, on Flickr

While not strictly a bicycle related item, the elastic shoelaces would work even on non-competition cycling shoes since they are quite tight.


Elastic Band Laces by Timothy Takemoto, on Flickr
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Old 12-27-18, 04:39 PM
  #86  
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In the past six months I have converted a Brooks B17 into a B17 narrow, and a Fujita Belt saddle into an Imperialized version.
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Old 12-27-18, 08:08 PM
  #87  
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Originally Posted by seedsbelize
In the past six months I have converted a Brooks B17 into a B17 narrow, and a Fujita Belt saddle into an Imperialized version.
I had to look that up. Leather saddles.
https://randalputnam.wordpress.com/2...-co-ltd-tokyo/

I seem to need holes in my saddles.

I put some more sofa-like padding on the hoods of my handlebars but as I say above, in the cold weather, and bearing in mind the design of my handlebar fairings, I spend most of my time in the drops (front and bottom).

Sofa Bars by Timothy Takemoto, on Flickr
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Old 12-28-18, 02:30 AM
  #88  
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It is not a repair but continuing the theme of cheap ways to improve your cycling experience my wife bought me a snow boarders high density wind proof neck warmer for Christmas. They are very good at keeping out the cold when riding my bike, but also very expensive. 100 yen shops sell polyester cloth backed thigh supporters for 150 yen which work as wind proof neck warmers at less than one twentieth of the price.

A Japanese blog post about thigh supporters can be seen here.

This is me wearing a thigh supporter around my neck.

100 Yen Thigh Support as Neck Warmer by Timothy Takemoto, on Flickr

Alas I am about twice as fat as my avatar photo. I attempt to blame the season's festivities.

Last edited by timtak; 12-28-18 at 02:34 AM.
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Old 12-28-18, 09:35 PM
  #89  
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Sidewall cut- Tufo type tubular, patched with a piece of tire casing glued on with contact cement.

Haven't ridden it yet, but it doesn't look promising- leaking a bit of sealant.

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Old 12-29-18, 08:19 PM
  #90  
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You could try adding sequins to your sealant or Google "homebrew sealant" for lots of alternatives. But a sidewall cut is harsh.
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Old 02-16-19, 01:53 PM
  #91  
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For inspiration:

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Old 02-16-19, 03:48 PM
  #92  
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Whole lotta hackjob junk going on in here...
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Old 02-17-19, 02:20 AM
  #93  
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Originally Posted by woodcraft
Inspiring. But a bit too hard core. Or a lot.
Lately I have found a good bottle cage container - a plastic Horlicks Lite jar. It fits snugly and has a big lid. I keep overgloves and one of the totaly windproof neckwarmers in there. I often keep my raincoat in the other bottle cage.


Raincoat and Horlicks Lite by Timothy Takemoto, on Flickr
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Old 02-17-19, 11:26 AM
  #94  
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I'm about to do my fourth hub re-build of the month. This one is the dynamo hub. As we head into the hot season, I'll want to do more evening rides.
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Old 03-12-19, 09:21 PM
  #95  
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My bike and I did a somersault when the front wheel fell into a hole in the road.

180 Degree Flipper
by Timothy Takemoto, on Flickr
The hole was mended by the local council with rubber packing.

Mended
by Timothy Takemoto, on Flickr
I mended the saddle of my bike with epoxy and thick, waxed cotton. I am not sure how long it will last.

Somersault Saddle Mended
by Timothy Takemoto, on Flickr
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Old 04-28-19, 04:09 PM
  #96  
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Since the mechanics on my two main carbon bikes are getting old, and so am I, and because their geometry is relaxed, I bought an old school c2000 horizontal top tube carbon Look bike for only 400USD approximately. I bought some pedals from China that did not work (the seem to be Shimano seconds and I had problems clipping in) then some second hand Shimano 105 pedals which work fine.

But then I had to put the seat forward since while the "aggressive geometry" puts the handlebars down, it also puts the seat backwards, for a shorter wheel base and ability to ride in the peloton, which I never do, so I had to push the seat forward. I achieved this by rotating the rearward offset Look Eropost 2 seatpost 180 degrees but that left the saddle nose pointing up at the sky. I tried drilling out the seatpost clamps


Fast Forward by Timothy Takemoto, on Flickr
but that still did not provide enough adjustment. I then took my grinder to the carbon of the seatpost itself but that still did not work. I eventually reaslised that I could simply put a bolt into one of the unused rearward seatpost clamp holes so that the seatpost clamp is resting on the additional bolt and the seatpost nose. It does not look good but it does the job.


Bolt in #2 by Timothy Takemoto, on Flickr
My saddle is now horizontal and I really like the ride quality of the Look, as well as its lowness. Its updated 105 mech changes gear effortlessly, and it came with a Lezine GPS computer.


Look with horizontal carbon saddle. Padding is for poets. by Timothy Takemoto, on Flickr

I slid some more standard grip foam onto my drops with the aid of gel type hand disinfectant (washing up liquid leaves stickiness. I had to use a lot of gel because it evaporates mid-slide. Hand cleansing foam is a good compromise) as I do from time to time. The grips do not last all that long especially on the side that I lean against walls, but it is almost free and very comfortable.

My stitched Selle SMP Evolution saddle in the photo in the previous post is still holding up but the epoxy is cracking. I am thinking of getting this Chinese hollow-saddle and removing the padding. There are some Chinese hollow-saddles without padding but the padded one has a Selle SMP resembling (copying?) drop nose style that I like. I have purchased four original, branded Selle SMP saddles in the past, and recommend them heartily, but the price for an unpadded carbon one is 1130 USD.

Last edited by timtak; 04-28-19 at 04:17 PM.
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Old 02-07-21, 09:14 PM
  #97  
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Chair feet as replacement cycling shoe heels

My Sidi-fied (see earlier in this thread for instructions on how to make the nut) Shimano cycling shoe heel pads that I add to the heels of Shimano shoes to make them last longer after the unchangeable Shimano heel pads wear out were made of rubber and these tend to rip off.

So, this time I used a cold shoe mount which is a piece of cork like material attached to a metal washer but the cork is a bit hard (though not as hard as the carbon sole which made my heel hurt). I could use purpose built Sidi replacement heels but they are 6 USD for two little pieces of rubber and plastic. So I have ordered some chair feet at about 40 cents a pad (links to both the Sidi pads and the chair feet on the following flickr page)

PET Bottle Covers and Cold Shoe Mount by Timothy Takemoto, on Flickr

As you can see, I am still using PET bottle covers as cycling shoe toe covers since they come in colours other than black -- I love lime green / pistachio -- because they are cheaper at 200 yen as opposed to at least about 400 yen for smaller black ones from China, and because since they do not quite fit my toes, they leave a little insulating air space at the toe. They now come in all sorts of varieties in 100 yen stores.

I did also try some beach shoes as shoe covers, which were bright which I like, but they were a bit small even for my Sidi's (my smallest shoes) so I ended up with a heel blister. If you have small feet (I am 27.5 or 9.5 American) I recommend the beach shoes for looks, even though there is generally no need to cover anything but the toe of your shoes for warmth. I guess folks in colder climates get cold heels.

Shoe Covers by Chestcam by Timothy Takemoto, on Flickr

That was painful by Timothy Takemoto, on Flickr


I also replaced my Horlicks bottle with a pasta shaker to hold my over-gloves. The Horlicks bottle met with an accident.

New Bike Bottle by Timothy Takemoto, on Flickr


I started using kairo iron oxidisation based hand warmers this year because, I think, I found a way to make them last longer. It is not that they are expensive, but throwing away a still hot hand warmer (which last for 8 hours, which is just too short to be useful for my commute both ways) seemed wasteful. The method is obvious. Just put the hand warmers in a sealed container, such as a zip lock bag or the little canisters that I use below, and you can use the hand warmers for the full 8 hours with as many intervals as you like.

Hand Warmer Life Extenders by Timothy Takemoto, on Flickr

I am tending to have more difficulty mending myself (first knees, now hips) since I am older but I will post self-repair on another thread.

Happy cycling

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Old 02-07-21, 10:07 PM
  #98  
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I replaced the rear derailleur, new chain, bar tape, upgraded the brake calipers from tektro to shimano 105 and new cables all around. so, more than a repair it was an upgrade.

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Old 02-08-21, 02:34 PM
  #99  
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Originally Posted by Mazatleco17
I replaced the rear derailleur, new chain, bar tape, upgraded the brake calipers from tektro to shimano 105 and new cables all around. so, more than a repair it was an upgrade.
I see we have similar tastes in bikes...LOL.

What is your opinion on the upgrade from the Axis to the 105 brakes? I'm considering this. I swapped to some Kool-Stop pads and the Axis brakes seem to work pretty good, but I'm really thinking about the 105's.

Thanks.
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Old 02-08-21, 09:43 PM
  #100  
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Originally Posted by Jagamov
I see we have similar tastes in bikes...LOL.

What is your opinion on the upgrade from the Axis to the 105 brakes? I'm considering this. I swapped to some Kool-Stop pads and the Axis brakes seem to work pretty good, but I'm really thinking about the 105's.

Thanks.
We certainly do! regarding the upgrade, I used the tektros for years (with kool-stops) and they were plenty good for the kind of rides I do, the 105's without a doubt are better quality and they look so much nicer... but the braking difference is marginal imho.

Last edited by Mazatleco17; 02-08-21 at 09:51 PM.
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