Road Cycling Essentials
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Soldato
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So, I spent the afternoon listening to Ned Boulting talk about the TdF, covering it for ITV, doping, cycling in the Olympics, the future of Wiggins, Froome and Brailsford, and lots of other stuff.
Some of it funny and all of it interesting.
Some of it funny and all of it interesting.
I assume I can find a guide somewhere online telling me how to replace a cable? I'll pick one up tomorrow and have a look at it.
I had a play with my rear gears to see if I could fix the indexing. I've improved things, but it's not perfect. I've no stand, so I have to lift the bike by hand which isn't great. If I can borrow a stand - or a willing lifter! - I should be able to fix it. It does amaze me with bikes how it all just boils down to half a dozen basic mechanical systems and a few tweaks either way can fix things or render them unusable.
I had a play with my rear gears to see if I could fix the indexing. I've improved things, but it's not perfect. I've no stand, so I have to lift the bike by hand which isn't great. If I can borrow a stand - or a willing lifter! - I should be able to fix it. It does amaze me with bikes how it all just boils down to half a dozen basic mechanical systems and a few tweaks either way can fix things or render them unusable.
Yeah when I replaced 2300 to 105 shifters and new bars I just took it to the shop, cost about £40 but I had a piece of mind. (also included other things)
I also replaced a bar and shifters and all the cables myself at one point, but my god - it can be quite straight forward but everything has to be done in sight of next step so if you mess up at one point, you might have to undo the whole thing.
This video is quite good and I wish I'd seen it before I tried it as it gives really good pointers.
I'll assume you got 2300? I had them for ages and did not get any trouble with shifting, though you might want to search youtube/internet for videos on how to clean them as I've heard people having wierd problems with shifters but having gt85d them a lot of **** came out and they worked well afterwards. Another very crucial thing and likely to be the cause of poor shifting - you have to make sure the cables themselves are reasonably clean. It is a fact that Dura Ace will shift like a sack of **** if the cables are dirty.
Try to release the cable from the mech and pull it by hand, if there is a lot of tension, it's best if you replace the outer for the rear mech but if you can't then take it off and clean with either GT85 and then lube gear cable and pull through making sure the spread the able around (slide it up and down a few times until you can feel friction reducing). When putting the cable back inside the outer though do be very careful not to fray it - easy does it and most times should be fine, if not a new gear cable can be had around £2-£3. Just ask a LBS for a gear cable not one of those "branded" ones as they are the same minus few top end ones etc.
I also replaced a bar and shifters and all the cables myself at one point, but my god - it can be quite straight forward but everything has to be done in sight of next step so if you mess up at one point, you might have to undo the whole thing.
This video is quite good and I wish I'd seen it before I tried it as it gives really good pointers.
I'll assume you got 2300? I had them for ages and did not get any trouble with shifting, though you might want to search youtube/internet for videos on how to clean them as I've heard people having wierd problems with shifters but having gt85d them a lot of **** came out and they worked well afterwards. Another very crucial thing and likely to be the cause of poor shifting - you have to make sure the cables themselves are reasonably clean. It is a fact that Dura Ace will shift like a sack of **** if the cables are dirty.
Try to release the cable from the mech and pull it by hand, if there is a lot of tension, it's best if you replace the outer for the rear mech but if you can't then take it off and clean with either GT85 and then lube gear cable and pull through making sure the spread the able around (slide it up and down a few times until you can feel friction reducing). When putting the cable back inside the outer though do be very careful not to fray it - easy does it and most times should be fine, if not a new gear cable can be had around £2-£3. Just ask a LBS for a gear cable not one of those "branded" ones as they are the same minus few top end ones etc.
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Brake cable should only cost a couple of quid, same for the outer (usually sold by the metre). You may need a couple of ferrules (the end caps) as well, which are less than £1 each and a cable end cap (which may be included with the cable).
It's a straightforward job that you can do yourself.
I would replace the bar tape at the same time, i find it difficult to get the old tape to sit right if reusing it (but maybe i'm just crap at wrapping).
-Strip the old tape off and clean glue residue off.
-Have a good look at the shifter and work out where the end of the cable sits and how it's routed. If it looks complicated, take some pictures to remind yourself. (It will most likely not be complicated at all though).
-Remove the old inner and outer cables.
-Measure the new outer against the old one and cut to size (dont cut the inner yet though).
-Put the new cables in place (with ferrules if required) and roughly tape in place against the bar with electrical tape. (There should be a channel in the front of your bars that the cable sits in.
-Attach to the brake and make sure it's working before you redo the bar tape incase you need to change anything.
-Trim off the excess inner (not too close to the bolt, leave about 5cm) and finish it off with an end cap, or solder it if you want to look like a pro
-Stick on the new bar tape. Job done.
It's a straightforward job that you can do yourself.
I would replace the bar tape at the same time, i find it difficult to get the old tape to sit right if reusing it (but maybe i'm just crap at wrapping).
-Strip the old tape off and clean glue residue off.
-Have a good look at the shifter and work out where the end of the cable sits and how it's routed. If it looks complicated, take some pictures to remind yourself. (It will most likely not be complicated at all though).
-Remove the old inner and outer cables.
-Measure the new outer against the old one and cut to size (dont cut the inner yet though).
-Put the new cables in place (with ferrules if required) and roughly tape in place against the bar with electrical tape. (There should be a channel in the front of your bars that the cable sits in.
-Attach to the brake and make sure it's working before you redo the bar tape incase you need to change anything.
-Trim off the excess inner (not too close to the bolt, leave about 5cm) and finish it off with an end cap, or solder it if you want to look like a pro
-Stick on the new bar tape. Job done.
Don
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I can confirm Track Cycling is EPIC fun
going back in 4 weeks
going back in 4 weeks
or solder it if you want to look like a pro
Once did not have a spare crimp, so made use of some superglue gel that was lying around. Ended up doing all of cable ends like that!
Once did not have a spare crimp, so made use of some superglue gel that was lying around. Ended up doing all of cable ends like that!
On one of my old bikes I chopped the end caps off all my cables one afternoon when i was bored and soldered them up.
Far too much effort for no real benefit, i havnt bothered to do it to any of my other bikes.
Soldato
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OK, the Ned Boulting chat; for those that don't know he is one of the interviewers for ITV's cycling coverage, mainly the TdF.
Interesting opinions he gave:
1) Froome & Wiggins really hate each other.
2) Rio will probably be the last time we see track cycling in the Olympics
3) He thinks Dave Brailsford won't be in cycling for much longer and will move into football
4) Wiggins is going for the TdF and probably won't do the Giro despite what he's recently said
5) Froome will leave Sky at the end of this season.
Interesting opinions he gave:
1) Froome & Wiggins really hate each other.
2) Rio will probably be the last time we see track cycling in the Olympics
3) He thinks Dave Brailsford won't be in cycling for much longer and will move into football
4) Wiggins is going for the TdF and probably won't do the Giro despite what he's recently said
5) Froome will leave Sky at the end of this season.
Soldato
- Joined
- 10 Nov 2003
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- 14,033
- Location
- Surrey, by the river
Not many countries do it and it's expensive to build a velodrome at each Olympics when it will probably not be used after the event has finished.
Its also an expensive sport for developing countries to compete in.
He reckons the feeling in the IOC is that it shouldn't be an Olympic sport.
Anyone doing this Strava 100 mile challenge? I'm going to give it a go on the Sun (praise be to the weather gods). If anyone near Manchester fancies tagging along give me a shout.
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