mechanicmatt

Put big tires on my wife's MTB

rustystrings61 

In the end I wound up driving the stem remnants out from below using a very long 1/2-in deep socket with an extension bar inserted up through the bottom of the crown, putting a headset top nut on the top of the steerer to protect the threads and roundness, and resting the whole on a huge chunk of wood. I then walloped the socket assembly with a 2-lb hammer, adding penetrating oil one it started moving, then walloping some more until the wretched hateful loathsome thing emerged. Now I just need to run a brake cylinder hone down the inside of the steerer to clean up the remaining corrosion and then I can get on with acquiring and installing a headset.


Stem remnant on the left, improvised punch on the right

I tell myself the cuts helped but probably not

The steerer awaiting a pass of a brake cylinder hone

JacobLee 

I’ve been struggling with this wheel.



I’ve probably built a dozen or so wheelsets over the years, so not a ton of experience, but a bit. Always used sturdy rims and plenty of spokes, and I’ve always had good luck. This one has been different. I wasn’t impressed with the Chinese made Sun CR-18 even before I built it, but not sure if that was the problem. I had to get the drive side way too tight to get the dish right, and the non-drive would loosen on rides. I had borrowed a tensionometer a few wheels ago, so I went ahead and ordered one to see if it would help me make sense of this wheel. It really helped me get the tension evened-out, and I think it’s acceptable now, but time (or miles) will tell.

I thought it was interesting that I used DT 2.0-1.8-2.0 butted spokes, but the spoke diameter gauge shows the middle of the spoke at 1.7.

mechanicmatt

Chinese made? Did Sun Rims move this to China? I always thought CR-18's were US made. I have a pair on my main rider (US made, silver, 700C) and while they do come out of true, I can get them super straight again and again. I will say that the machine sidewall version (US made, 26") is a better version of them though.

****edit: looked it up, seems like this is true****

JacobLee 

Yeah, the sticker used to say Made in the USA, now it says Designed in the USA, if I remember. It was a surprise to me as well.

rjhammett

I finished a total rehab of the Falcon San Remo last night.

mrv 

Removed cable stops - apparently there were attached with silver braze. One fell off with a little heat. The other came off so fast it took me by surprise. It fell in the pocket of my shop apron. I grabbed the apron to hold it away from me while I waited for it to burn through my pocket. My wife keeps our insurance up to date.

Added DT shifter bosses
man, I hope I got things center & even….



Time for clean up!

Classtime 

I finally got around to fine tuning a set of 7700/CXP33 wheels that have been feeling a bit off. My attempts a truing were thwarted by a few frozen alloy nipples on the DT Comp spokes. I hate alloy nipples. I was mentally preparing to exchange all for brass as I grabbed each spoke (4 in total) with visegrips near the nipple and from inside the rim backed off the nipple with a screwdriver. Slow going but I was successful. Tension is a bit off in one spot (15 vs 17 on my park gauge). Should be ok and they look great.

leftthread

Got Sheldon's tool out and the $1.98 St. Vinny's Craftsman. And a three foot length of 2 inch PVC sleeved over the Craftsman as the cheater bar.

mechanicmatt

This is the frame I earned back in my high school bike shop days. Needed something for the muddy trails near me. I've given up on a more modern Stumpjumper (2007) and swapped all the best stuff to this Rockadile (1997). Only special new thing is Soma Dream bars. They're huge. Everything else is what I have. I wish I had an old school brake stiffener for the back though, rear stays are flexy under braking. Wet day here on the mountain.

denaffen

Nearly done with this one. Had an 11th hour change to upgraded brakes, which will entail a little light drilling to accommodate the recessed nut. Other than that, I think it’s done.

ascherer 

I put this beautiful Sun crankset on my Mercian Pro, replacing the Ultegra 6600 that was on it since 2007. It’s better suited to the hills that are on the road ahead, and the aesthetic is perfect.

denaffen

It’s done

BTinNYC 

Really nice. Probably cleaner than original.

BTinNYC 

Another beauty. The light blues have got me thus morning.

tyler_fred

With a 34.5" inseam, I normally ride a 63, but as I get older, I think a '53 will fit me much better...

Prowler 

Very neat project. I envious. What have you treated the bodywork with? Looks like the old paint, the rust and any primer are all gloss. I'd
I'd like to do that to an old bike finish, paint chips and all.

BTinNYC 

I saw the frame poking out from the bottom of a junk pile in front of a closed business. I wanted to get deeper in the fixing thing, and thought this beater might be the path to bottom brackets, headsets, and frame painting.

It's a '83 Schwinn Traveler lugged steelie, Giant made, and in horrible condition. Before I finished disassembly, the bike taught me it's first lesson; don't work on totally trashed bikes. 😀

Now the thing is stripped and primed, I'm having fun.

Topless68

I'm not sure if this counts as "wrenching", but it does involve tools, rubber tubing, wires, and gluing my fingers together at one point.

My youngest son follows a web series called Project 863. In this series, there is a villain named "The Phantom" who wears a facemask. He wanted this to be his Halloween costume, so I gathered some stuff, and have been putting it all together. Finished it the other night and took some pictures of the final product.


Photo for inspiration

All the parts

post assembly

lighting test

costume test

merziac

No kidding, great vibe and I think you need a white or silver Silca to close the deal.

I think most any and all C+V need a Silca, just for looks whether they work or not.

All mine work ok and would get me home, I can usually get them functional no matter what, I do have several that work just fine too so....

Or you could pop for a new style.

ascherer 

I have a silver Silca on my chrome Pro Mk. I and the allure is real. I’ve been a Zefal HP fanboy since they came out. I had a HP-X that I stripped and polished that looked pretty good but I lost it. I dream of refinishing one and applying some Mercian transfers I got from nlerner but if you’re offering…

merziac

And therein lies the rub, most of mine are 7ish out of ten and fit right in with day to day rider vibe, the nice ones are all earmarked for future builds so...

Always on the lookout for good deals that are kind of few and far between.

jamesdak 

I just finished hacking away at this one some more.




New Dura Ace 9100 bottom bracket, new KMC 10 speed xl chain, and used but mint Dura Ace 12-25 10 speed cassette. While I had things apart I also cleaned every bit of grease and grit off the crank. I also took apart the jockey cage on the RD, removed the pulleys, cleaned it all up, and regreased it. I also found the replaceable hanger for the RD loose and tightened that down. Lost another massive 3 ozs with the parts changes. Getting closer to being under 17 lbs. Hopefully the drivetrain issues are sorted out now and this one will show the speed it should be capable of. Although I do want to get the bearing replaced in the wheels too. With all the grit I've been finding deep on this one I wonder if they are a mess too despite feeling ok.

Didn't realize the hollowtech BB's were now down to a 39mm diameter so I had to order in a new BB tool for this one. Never really a bad thing when you have to get new tools.

VtwinVince

Just finished this Columbus-framed Softride with full 600 Tricolour parts.

tyler_fred

Sorry to disappoint @Prowler. I rinsed it off before pulling into the shop.