Tuesday, August 09, 2016

repair list (to do list)

So a bike collection combined with time = an extensive repair list, especially on the oldest bike.
 
There are three interesting things below, see if you can spot them amongst the dross.
 
 
 
*86 Rockhopper*
This was my original mtn bike bought 2nd hand in 1988 and is now my city bike (i.e. performs well and does not look valuable)
 
This bike had been out of action for a while because of bad rear wheel and several niggling minor troubles. Several!
 
Rear wheel
New last night to replace a real piece of junk that ABC cycle returned my bike with after keeping or losing my very good wheel from my original full suspension mtn bike (bleeding edge good for a couple years then obsolete POS)
Of course after (literally and accurately) one tour around the block it went out of alignment.
 
Brakes
Rear brake is not east-adjustment friendly, but new rim is wider so gotta take 30 minutes of misery and get it set up.
 
Front brake
Has some squeal
Two sides of brakes not aligned in where they sit, maybe time to replace the original 1986 spec brake (2nd last original part!)
Is brake aligned to brake zone of rim or is it too high near tire?
 
Tires: I just put my fat city tires back on, so good for now. I had put some old knobby tires on it but they are all cracked and cracked tire surface = flats waiting to happen
 
Bell
I had a nice loud bell but the handle broke off, so need a new one. Bell is very useful in city riding.
 
Rear fender
When I put on the knobbies I took off the fenders. I put all the bolts etc in a little bag. Of course a year later I discover that not all bolts are to be found in the bag.
  
Shifter
I have a non-stock cheap friction shifter that needs to be loosened and lubed. Not a big job, but needs to be done. Also, the shifter tends to rotate out of correct position on the handlebar. Because cheap. I’d like a less cheap one but friction isn’t in.
 
Front wheel
Hub needs lube, luckily it had a grease port so this should be a 30 second job. This was a user friendly easy-maintenance innovation in the early 90s that of course was not invented by shimano and of course Shimano would not adopt.
 
Seat post: seized. Need to unseize it. This may not be possible. At least it is at at correct height.
 
Chain: needs to be de-gunked. This is the stays-outdoor bike and I only add lube, never really clean it.
 
Lights
Need to update lights to have brighter modern ones. Bright ones cost $. But for city use I believe that better = brighter = safer.
 
 
 
*1988 Bertrand*
Generally running strong!
 
Wheels
Need to fine tune the rim alignment because I get a bit of a speed wobble.
Real wheel is a super cheapie, and it could be good to get a good wheel there, but cheapie has been reliable! Very reliable! 
 
 
 
*2009 Rockhopper full suspension mtn bike*
I got this in my 50th year because I had no functional mtn bike and I missed doing the best sport in the world. It was the cheapest full suspension mtn bike. It has certainly returned lots of fun joy and pleasure, and also makes a GREAT city bike! Except for wearing down knobbies on pavement of course.
 
Front disc brakes
Front brakes a bit worn and maybe a bit of disk caliper stickiness. Need to investigate online before going to bike shop. Entirely possible disc pads need changing.
 
chain
Need to check chain wear. Chain is grabbing chainring sometimes so maybe time for drivetrain (gears) overhaul (new chain, chainrings and cassette)? It has been 7 years. Step one is check chain wear and clean and relube. It had gotten dry after a bike wash a while ago so maybe a clean & more lube? 
 
Wheels
Should do an rim * spoke verification/alignment because once in a while this is a good safety/reliability check.
 
 
*85 Raleigh (broken frame)*
Need to strip this bike of potentially useful parts and discard.
 
 
Other needs:
I need to develop some apartment bike storage solution because this is a problem.
            Back closet hanging structure (parts bought, not installed – big job)
            Front door hanging thing because sitting by front door not aestheticaly nice.
            Office room – additional hanging positions. This could get mtn bike out of the way.
            Need to not have bikes leaning against bike on trainer because adding obstacles to using bike trainer is bad.
I would like a folding repair stand because my actual one of non folding and therefore in storage and hard to use easily.
Improve bike trainer setup, with screen9s) and fan in a semi-permanent setup (at least in off season). Some sort of Tandem bike so wife and I can share the joy despite our extremely mismatched speed levels.
 
Bertrand replacement
Hopefully when Bertrand is 30 years old (2 more years) I will have a new road bike. I would like it to have more all-weather and (easy-level) dirt road capability.

1 Comments:

At 12:53 PM, Blogger L'amusette said...

love your blog - let's get together for a ride! It's rare to find a biker who can write with verve!! check out my site www.bikebag.ca and let's spin some wheels!

 

Post a Comment

<< Home