Threadeds' Eclectic Blog

Adjusting the front derailleur

2009-01-06T06:00:00.001+01:00

Now the chain is on the fine tuning of the front dérailleur can be completed. It normally only needs a little tweak to set these end stops. Here I didn't need to do anything as it was right on the ball.

Just spun the cog and checked the gears changed OK.

As it is otherwise another step completed it is a good enough excuse to have a beer though.

Seat

2009-01-05T06:00:00.002+01:00

Here's a seat post clamp. I don't like quick-release seat-post clamps as they're only helpful to thieves who want to steal your seat.

De-bagged! There is a little lip on the inside so it will only go on the seat tube one way up.

A little anti-stick paste wiped on the inside and on the seat-tube it goes.

But now realise I have no seat. Hmm. Have to think about what to do here. Shall have a beer.

Install the chain

2009-01-04T06:00:00.003+01:00

A nice SRAM 9 speed chain - PC981

Just lay it across the front, remembering to feed it through the front dérailleur.

Lay it across the back and feed it through the rear dérailleur.

The magic link. I like magic links as I like to take my chain off quite often and clean it in a wax bath.

The chain is not seated right as the dérailleur needs a little fine adjustment.

And there we have it.

Another beer is called for now.

Put the tires on

2009-01-03T14:29:00.003+01:00

Here's a couple of spare inner tubes that have been laying about for longer than I care to remember. They were part of prizes at races ages ago, and I can't remember why they've not been used.

And a couple of spiked tires will be perfect for riding on the ice.

Oh dear, now I know why the first tube hasn't been used, and hence languishing at the back of the shelf for so long. The valve is some wierdness for a very deep rim and doesn't have a thread for a nut to hold it in place. Oops, that's not good.

Oh dear, now I know why the second tube hasn't been used, and hence languishing at the back of the shelf for so long. It's a schrader valve, and hence way too big for the hole in the rims of any wheels I have.

Right, now I know why they were prizes, they were boobie prizes! I do hope the thought of my reaction on opening the boxes made them happy. So those two tubes have gone to the charity shop, no doubt to entertain someone else in the near future. I've no use for them. Now well, I'll just have to go and get a pair of tubes from the stock I keep for my racing bikes. These Bontrager are sweet tubes. I forget who actually manufactures them.

A little air in them to make sure they fit, and don't already have a puncture. The valve stem looks a little short, but it's just because the tube is sat above the rim. I hope.

Fit the tires.

Pump them up a little harder than what I use for racing.

See the valve comes through now.

And onto the bike go the wheels.

Looks even more like a bicyce now.

Time for a beer.

Wiring up the rear derailleur

2008-12-18T06:00:00.000+01:00

Neatly trim the outer shield leaving approximately 10mm showing

Thread on the sealing bellows

Thread around to the attaching screw. Use the 'third hand' to pull it all taught.

At full pull, set the limit screw.

So easy, I wonder if I even deserve a beer for that. I'll have one whilst I think about it.

Handlebar grips

2008-12-17T06:00:00.001+01:00

As the brake housings are blue I sourced some blue handlebar grips.
The smallest touch of liquid soap is enough to help slip them on. I like them to twist a little under my hands. Some people hate it, and if you do, you're better using a little alcohol instead of soap. I push them far enough on so there is a little bit of tube showing at the end. I shall be putting bar ends on later, if I can find some nice blue ones.

It's looking so good, I think I'll have a beer.

Wiring up the front derailleur

2008-12-16T06:00:00.000+01:00

Out comes the front dérailleur packing spacer.

Tug the cable taught, measure up and, with a sharp knife, cut off the excess cover.

Remember to have the 'third hand' to hand, so to speak.

On with the shield bellows and thread through the stop screw.

Check, using the trigger-shifter that everything works. Then torque up.

Whilst holding a beer in the other hand of course.

Routing rear derailleur cable

2008-12-15T19:41:00.003+01:00

Routing the rear derailleur was a little more complicated than the front.

The end stops were slightly too narrow for either variety of ferule that came with the cables. I could drill out the end-stops to slightly widen them, but I dislike modding a frame unless it is absolutely unavoidable. So it was a case of hunting through spare parts to find some that fitted, and looked correct. Yes, I managed to locate some.

Whilst I was at it, I corrected the orientation of the cable guide for the front derailleur so the text was the correct way up.

Whilst I was at it, I lined the ferules up, so the text was apparent there too. It's all the little finishing touches that go to make a bike feel good.

The ferules were so tight they stay in place all on their own!

Shall I have a beer, or finish off here? Do I absolutely need both hands for the last bit? Well, I'll have a beer and ponder on it.

Beer

2008-12-14T07:31:00.001+01:00

Getting ready for the next step in my bicycle build and what do I spy?

What? Nearly out of beer!

Oh dear, better send out for some more.

Replacing the wire on a SRAM XO rear trigger shifter

2008-12-13T07:04:00.004+01:00

The front trigger shift looks a little different to the rear. That is because the two I have are not really a pair. The design has altered over the years, and they come from different sets. I would like to think the front trigger shifter (that I changed the wire on in an earlier post) is a more modern design. It is easier to work on that one than this design, but I don't know.

Yet, lucky for you if you've surfed in looking for instructions on how to replace this cable, as you can find descriptions for both types here.

As before the little thumb-screw on the back is easy to remove, and you can then take the back off.

This looks like fun, not. I have to unthread the wire without disturbing this spring too much. Definitely do not want to bend the spring. That leads to pain.

A little gentle pressure and pushing the spring out of the way and the cable starts to unthread. Once I've removed this cable I wind it up and throw it in the 'spare parts to be given away' bin. I've mentioned previously I dislike the open system. I much prefered a sealed system.

Now inserting the new cable is fun. It has to thread through a small hole which has little guidance and doesn't line up nicely. A little screwdriver I long since modified for this specific task. Notice the rounded off edges. We do not want anything getting scratched or notched in here. These parts are right on the limit for design and any damage will make itself readily apparent when you're right at a very important part of a race.

Pull the cable through. Now just before the end stop is due to arrive, gently push the spring out of the way and lift the end-stop over the lip and up to the face.

On goes the back and, screwsin with the thumb screw.

Done, and I believe a beer is in order.

Routing front derailleur cable

2008-12-10T20:31:00.004+01:00

Just noticed, this is the wrong way up. Shall fix that later, when 'finishing' the bike.

Where did I leave my beer?

Replacing the wire on a SRAM XO front trigger shifter

2008-12-10T19:55:00.004+01:00

Here's a spare trigger shifter I'm going to use. How come I had a spare? Well, in a race I broke one, just with my thumb pressure. It's surprising how strong you can get when racing. Sent it to be repaired, but had another race the next week. No one had any single trigger shifters in stock, so I had to buy a pair. Hence I ended up with this one as a left over. The broken one was replaced, but not after several months had passed, but more on that, and the consequences, in a later post.

I really dislike the stock wire on these SRAM XO trigger shifters. I guess it is OK for deserts or places where it isn't so dirty, but I race in gloopy horrid mud nearly everytime, and icy gloopy horrid mud is even more prone to jamming stuff up. So I'm going to replace it, before fitting to the bike.

So I undo this screw on the back.

This is the make of cable system I'm going to use. Gore Ride On. It is a sealed low friction system. It is without doubt the best there is, by a long way.

Like many things at this level of bicycle component, the box is a true beauty. Yet, it must be opened, it must be emptied, and eventually it even has to be thrown away.

So the screw is out, and the back should just pop off.

You can now push the wire backwards out.

Unravel the new wire. Try not to kink it. I don't, this picture is just for effect.

Find which end of the new cable has the correct sized rivet, i.e. the one that is the same size.

Double check it. Triple check it.

And check again before cutting off the other one.

The removed cable is rolled up. I give these away at race meets if I see someone who needs a new one. I don't use them, but that's no reason to waste it.

New cable is threaded in.

Make sure the rivet seats nicely.

And reassemble the shifter.

Actually quite stressful, everytime. If one makes a mistake, it can be expensive. So I recon I deserve a beer after that.

Initial setup of front derailleur

2008-12-08T19:53:00.001+01:00

The gap from the top of the teeth to the bottom of the dérailleur should be between 1mm and 3mm. Obviously they should be parallel to each other.

With an appropriate screwdriver move the H (high) to make the gap line up with the outer ring when you pull at it.

There's a little plastic jobby the comes-with to stop the beasties spring pulling the lot over the inner ring. It is really helpful so I leave it in to do the high ring.

This white plastic thingy.

I take it out to adjust the L (low) screw.

Sorry, didn't take a picture of that, as my hand was otherwise occupied holding a beer.

Routing rear hydraulic hose

2008-12-07T19:49:00.001+01:00

A bag of bits to hold the rear brake hydraulic hose to the frame.

And one fits.

And so does another.

Out come the calliper protectors.

Time to put the wheels back on, or have a beer?

Brake calipers and levers

2008-12-06T19:39:00.001+01:00

Twist the bike around so I can get to the front easily. On with the levers. Run the hydraulic hose and callipers in the correct general direction to make sure they will reach.

The lever will end up pointing in the right direction eventually. I hope.

Rear just hanging there.

And the front calliper is here...

Check the instructions for the torque settings.

And on it goes. The red part is a little shield for transport, so need to put these to one side for safe keeping.

Jylebryg

2008-12-05T05:30:00.001+01:00

Rather busy day today, so I shall only post a picture of the beer being drunk to help lubricate the assembly of this bicycle.

Looks like it is disappearing fast, so more is sent for.

Brake disks fitted to the wheels

2008-12-04T05:04:00.001+01:00

Now to the brakes. One set is in a nice presentation box. Which'll be thrown away. Ever such a nice box though. Think I'll try and find a use for it.

So I throw away the extraneous packaging to see what there is.

Get the instructions out and read them thoroughly. These are the brakes and it is important that they stop me every-time I want them to, and not stop me when I least expect it.

Off come the wheels to install the disks.

On this type of wheel you can use two varieties of disk brake disk-mount, and rim brakes. There is a dust cover to cover where the disk-mount adapter fits for the case where you'd use rim brakes. So off it comes and is thrown away.

On goes the IS or 6 bolt adapter. Looks to stand a little proud, needs pressing in, but not much pressure required, just thumbs.

Make sure it is seated all the way down.

Where's the lock nut gone?

On it goes, just finger tight for now. Put the disk on and ensure the arrow points in the direction of rotation for the wheel. Then install the disk and screw the six bolts in.

When I'm happy everything is correct I torque it all up.

Time for a relaxing beer.

Front disk brake mount

2008-12-03T04:19:00.000+01:00

This is the front disk brake mount.

It fits on the bottom of the left-hand-side fork-leg. It is where the front brake caliper attaches.

It will not go on smoothly.

Twist the bike around so I can get a good look at it.

Yes, it looks like a really tight fit.

Give it a good shove, and nothing happens.

Time for a rubber mallet. And remember to take the bolts out completely as we don't want to go damaging any threads here.

A good whack and doesn't look like it moved by much, but it is on as far as it will go now.

Best have a beer whilst I contemplate what might be the problem here.

On with the handlebars

2008-12-02T05:41:00.004+01:00

There's not a great deal to say about handlebars normally, but these are manufactured from carbon composite. With such a material you have to be quite careful, remember it is not metal, it reacts more like wood. The key thing to remember: the torque wrench is your friend.

Now the handlebars are on, I can put a restraint on the bars to stop the front end flapping about when I'm twisting and turning the bike around during the next steps of the build.

I fancy another beer.

Installing the stem

2008-12-01T19:23:00.002+01:00

I don't know what stem length I will like on this bike. So initially I'm going to use a variable angle stem until I'm happy with the set-up, then I'll swap it for a lighter fixed one. This is my initial guess of the set up angle.

It slides onto the top of the fork with no difficulty.

Measure how much headtube is sticking out, and find a spacer just a little bigger. This design of fork doesn't use a star-fangled nut, there is a threaded hole internally, so no installation of one of them to show you.

Put the headset spacer in and then screw down the headset cap. Just before it is tight check the stem is lined up correctly.

Now tighten up the stem bolts. This design has one on either side, it is more usual that they are both on the same side, but alternate, as in this design, allows this stem to be inverted and not look out of place.

I would put the handlebars on now, but I fancy a beer.

Rear cassette onto the rear wheel

2008-11-30T10:42:00.003+01:00

This is the rear cassette I shall be using. It looks like a really heavy lump of metal, but in fact it is nice and light. It is mostly hollow inside, with what looks like the edges of a pyramid holding the cogs in position. Also as you can see in the picture, there are lots of little holes drilled in the cogs themselves to make it even lighter.

So off the bike comes the rear wheel, and onto the freewheel this cassette slides. These can be a bit of a pain to fit if you've not done it before as, although the splines look regular, they aren't, this is to ensure the whole arrangement only goes on in one way. There is a special tool to torque up the lock nut, and it is tempting to just grab the wheel when doing this, but one should use a chain whip on the cassette, otherwise you're damaging the freewheel and possibly taking you wheel out of true.

Shall I put the chain on now?

Nah, time for a beer.

Wheels and rim-tape

2008-11-29T05:58:00.002+01:00

I open the delivery box with the wheels in and see what parts come with, and what I need that is missing. Rim-tape is missing. Rim-tape forms a barrier between the inner tube and the inside of the rim. If there was no rim tape the tube would press through the holes in the rims onto the spoke nipples or the tips of the spokes themselves, (if they protrude through the nipples,) these and the holes themselves are sharp and will puncture the tube in use.

Found some rim tape. I like plastic rim tape as the bicycle wheels will get quite a bit of water in them and cloth tape just rots, fails to protect the inner-tube and then you get a puncture that is unrepairable in the field.

There is a knack to installing rim-tape such as this as it is quite tight to get on. You first put a screwdriver through the valve hole in the rim-tape, and through the valve hole in the wheel. This ensures they start off more or less aligned. You then put another screwdriver on the rim and run it around to get the tape on. It is tricky and it feels like the tape will snap just before you get it all on, but it shouldn't. Now just before it is all on let the first screwdriver drop away, if it hasn't already, and get the tape all on the rim. Now the holes in the tape and the rim won't quite line up anymore, not to worry, just roll the screwdriver backwards and forwards and you'll see the holes come into alignment. When they're aligned, then take the screwdriver out.

Put the front wheel on.

And the back.

Looks more like a bicycle now.

Looks like a bike from this direction too!

Lots more parts to go on yet, so I'll have a beer as I decide what to do next.

Installing the front derailleur

2008-11-28T05:58:00.000+01:00

This is the front derailleur in it's box. I check first before opening the box to see if this one is the correct type. I need to see the key statements: "top-pull" and "31.8mm" written on the side. The down tube is 31.8 mm diameter, if the derailleur is narrower than this it won't go around the tube, and if it is wider then it won't grip. It needs to be top pull as that is the direction the control cable will pull from. This can be seen from the frame as there is a cable stop near the top of the seat tube.

I shall read the instructions this time, as I am not 100% sure on what the spacing should be from the large chain ring to the unit. Also it tells me how tight to torque up the retaining bolt.

And there it is. Notice the lump of creamy-white plastic inside the derailleur, it helps to put something like that in whilst setting it up, otherwise the derailleur cage sits over the smallest chain-ring and it is hard to set the clearance to the large chain-ring.

Well, that was so easy I think it deserves a beer.

Installing the rear derailleur

2008-11-27T05:55:00.003+01:00

Bored with working at the front, now I shall do something to the rear of the bike. The black piece is a plastic spacer to prevent frame damage during delivery. I keep hold of things like this for when I transport my bikes anywhere and they don't have a wheel installed. Helps prevent damage from bending the frame due to over enthusiastic piling up of kit on top. The part furthest away is where the rear disc brake calliper screws on, and this side has the hanger where the rear dérailleur is fitted.

The rear derailleur screws into this hole here, on the hanger. Suppose it is called the hanger as it hangs down. If you look carefully it looks a little like a comma, the little 'tick' is a stop for a part on the derailleur that is used as a thrust plate to resist the twisting motion imparted when one tensions the cable to change gear. So it is important that the stop goes on the correct side, although it is usually difficult to get it wrong. On some derailleurs there is no plate, just a bolt. In that case the blot pushes against this tick.

Goes on really easy. I just screw the derailleur hanger bolt into the hanger. I check several times to make sure it is correct as it went on way too easy. Then I torque the hanger bolt up as per the instructions.

I prefer the SRAM system for the rear derailleur as they use a parallelogram arrangement for moving across the cassette, this ensures the cage can never contact the cassette. On other systems they rely on the chain tension to pull the cage down. When a MTB gets really dirty in a race you can forget about chain tension doing anything like when you set the bike up, so I don't bother with anything less.

Reckon it is time for another beer.

Installing the chainset

2008-11-27T05:51:00.003+01:00

This part is big and has lots of teeth on it. I shall read the instructions first this time. They say I should put some grease on and just slide it in.

So I put some grease on and slide it in. I let go and it swings down and sort of hangs there, kinda lifeless and forlorn looking. Looks sort of sad, doesn't it, like it is missing it's partner.

The instructions then say I put the other side on and with a hex bolt tighten it up. There are many ways to put the other crank arm on. I shall put it pointing away from the other so it looks like most other bicycles. Much happier looking now.

There are a couple of parts left over, look like little felt washers. The instructions say they are for the pedals.

Hmm, have to dig out some pedals, sure I have some laying about, but I think I'll have a beer whilst I think about where they might be.