George Argiris' Ingenious Home-Made Chain Keeper

Here's an ingenious home-made chain keeper that you can make for clamp-on front derailleurs. George Argiris makes them for his bicycles and he sent me this photo and the following instructions on how to make it so I could share them with you. Thanks, George!

Quick disclaimer: You only need a chain keeper if you are certain that your front derailleur is adjusted perfectly, yet the chain still comes off the chainring occasionally when shifting to the smallest chainring. If your chain never comes off, you don't need a keeper. If your chain comes off and you're not sure whether or not your front derailleur is adjusted correctly, have it checked by a pro before adding a chain keeper.

Chain keepers keep the chain on
A chain keeper (they can also be called "chain catchers" and "chain guides" - here's a selection of commercial models) is a little device that rests inboard of the small chainring. Should the chain start to come off the small chainring, the chain keeper bumps it and pushes it back on so it can't drop off.

Chain keepers have become popular because compact cranksets have gotten popular. Compacts have a larger difference between the small and large chainring sizes, which can cause shifting glitches, including throwing the chain off when you shift onto the small chainring. This shouldn't happen on a properly adjusted  matched system - in other words, on a Shimano compact crankset with a Shimano derailleur and shifter.

It provides peace of mind that your chain won't fall off
However, a lot of riders choose to mix and match components. Add that fact to the difficulty of properly adjusting front derailleurs, and it's easy to understand why chains can come off. Now, when a chain does happen to come off, it's usually a simple matter to just shift it back on, soft pedaling until it engages (you don't even need to get off your bike).

But, most riders would rather not have it come off in the first place. Hence the profusion of chain keepers. These days, besides on bikes with compact cranksets, you'll see them on bikes with standard doubles and triples sometimes, too.

George Argiris's ingenious chain keeper

George Argiris' home-made chain keeper

George's home-made model is an elegant design for clamp-on front derailleurs. It cleverly takes the place of the clamp hinge pin and is locked in place as you tighten the derailleur. This gives it such an integrated look you might think it was part of the derailleur right out of the box (click to enlarge the photo).

Plus, it looks far better than having a separate chain keeper attached beneath the front derailleur - especially a plastic one. It also won't collect crud and make the area harder to clean. And it weighs next to nothing. Interestingly, there have been wire chain keepers of various designs since the dawn of the derailleur so it's a proven way to control the chain.


What you need to make your chain keeper
1) From your local hobby shop get a #507 (or 1/8-inch) diameter steel rod (get stainless if you can so it won't rust).
2) The first bend is about 1 1/2 inches from the end, and about a 1-inch bent section at a 30-degree angle, or whatever it takes to reach over to the chainring.
3) The second bend is 1 inch from the bottom of that bend to where you'll cut it off.

Notes

* The measurements and bends may vary slightly. You'll have to check it as you go.

* Get the rod to within 1/8-inch or so from the chain, and it shouldn't really hang down any farther than the chainring.

* If the new hinge pin (your chain keeper) doesn't go in easy, drill out the hinge hole with a 1/8-inch drill bit.
* Don't worry if the new pin feels loose, because once you tighten the clamp onto the seat tube of you bicycle frame, it will hold the pin tight.
* You can adjust your new chain keeper by just nudging it one way or the other before the final tightening.

If you have a braze-on derailleur, RoadBikeRider.com owner/cyclist John Marsh sells an e-article on how to make one that resembles George's quite a bit, but mounts beneath the derailleur mounting bolt. The e-article goes for $4.25 and is available here.

Here's to no more dropped chains! Many thanks to George for sharing this trick bike mod!
Jim

Q&A: Fixing Dented Deep-Dish Carbon Wheel & Lacing Spokes

Winter's a great time to get your equipment ready for next season and to work on your mechanical skills, like wheelbuilding. From this week's mailbag, here are two related Q and As with feedback and photos from the cyclists showing their handiwork.

This first question is from my Bicycle Trip/Symantec teammate Miles, who is one of our top 45+ masters racers.

Dented carbon rim

Q: Hope you can help me out, Jim. I wanted to make my race bike even faster with some deep-dish carbon sew-up (tubular) wheels. I did my research and decided to buy some made by Edge, which have a great reputation (FYI, they changed their name to Enve recently).

These are pricey wheels so I decided to search eBay and I found what looked to be the perfect pair at a sweet price.

I won the auction, but when the wheels arrived I was depressed to find a large dent in the front rim. Here's a photo. Did I get ripped off? Should I send the wheels back? They're very true and round and all the spokes are nice and tight. I can't see any other signs of damage but I hate this dent. What would you do?

Thanks!
Miles

A: You said the wheel is very true and round and all the spokes are nice and tight. That's good, Miles. As long as there's no other damage (did you check for cracks in the rim where the spokes enter it?) - the dent is probably only cosmetic damage not unlike when a shopping cart rolls into and dents your car. It's ugly and frustrating, but it won't affect the strength of the wheel.

Tall, deep-dish carbon rims like this are often pretty flimsy. You can squeeze them and make the sidewalls flex a lot so it's easy to see how someone running into the wheels in the race pack could have done this. Or maybe, just putting them in the back of a car and someone putting something on top of the wheel dented it. So, it pays to watch out for stuff like this.

Why don't you bring the wheel over to my home workshop and I'll check it out and see if it's fixable? I'm thinking we can pop it out similar to how you'd get a dent out of a car fender.

Q&A: More noisy bicycles, checking cassette wear, too clean

Happy Halloween everyone! In this season of ghostly apparitions and things going bump in the night, here are a few Q and A's on chasing away bicycle gremlins. And, remember to save any Snickers bars you get while trick or treatin' - great ride food!

Q: Hi Jim,
Bike noises can be such puzzlers, so I was happy to find your webpage on them. I could relate to many of the noises. Here's one that had me stumped (still does, insofar as the exact mechanism goes).

I have a Gary Fisher HiFi-Plus mountain bike. I ride a lot and stay on top of general cleanup, as Boise's summer trails are dusty. After a couple of years, it developed a slight "click" or "tick" on most crank revolutions. Came from the bottom bracket/crank area. You could hear it but not feel it. I kept riding. With time, the single click grew to a couple of clicks - again, fairly regular with revolutions. With more time, these clicks merged into a close-spaced series that I would call a "c-r-r-r-reak". Almost the sound of something flexing. Usually took 10-15 minutes of riding to really develop. Of course, such stuff resonates through the whole frame and is annoying no end.

As this developed over a month's time, I suspected and tried everything - pedals, cranks, chainrings, chain, bearing bracket, frame cracks, etc. Check, tighten, clean, lube. Nothing helped. Other mechanic friends suggested everything I had already tried. Having admitted defeat, I dropped by the shop I bought the bike from, recounted the history, told them I wasn't going to give them the bike to puzzle over (I was going to fix this myself!), but had they ever run into this on this bike?

Almost without hesitation, the mechanic told me to to just disassemble the bottom bracket, clean it up, and put it back together. I protested, saying that I knew it was in/torqued to specs, etc. He said, "Trust me." I did.

Complete tear-down, wipe-down, lube and reassemble. Voila - no creak. Not for 2 years now. My explanation: somehow fine grit or something works its way into those fine threads, or the metal-to-metal/metal-to-plastic contact of bearing/bracket parts (or something) gets to where parts move against each other ever so slightly, generating the sound in the flexing or twisting.  What do you think?

Eric

Teflon tape can silence BB clicks and ticks

A: I’m glad your mechanic was able to give you such a sure fix, Eric. In a lot of cases I’ve seen, it is the BB – not always – but so frequently, that it never hurts to take out and reinstall the BB. On most cranksets these days it’s relatively simple to do this if you have a few basic tools, like Park Tool's BBT-9 cup tool for Shimano BBs. It used to be a much bigger job to do it right, but then BBs didn’t used to make noise so often either. Maybe it’s a trade off we all have to make to enjoy cartridge bearing, oversize, external cup BBs?

The bike I ride the most is a Litespeed Vortex road bike. It has an aluminum BB in a titanium frame. This combination tends to eventually creak, click, etc. A trick that works is wrapping plumber's Teflon tape around the BB cup threads during installation. This adds a layer of plastic in there and seems to give you several years before any noise returns. In fact, Jeff Pierce, the 3rd American to win a Tour de France stage (on his Litespeed Vortex), told me the mechanics used plumber's tape on the team bikes.

And, I think you’re right, that the parts in the BB are slightly loosening and that dirt/grit is getting in there and causing the noise. You might experiment with plumbers tape or a thicker lube, maybe an anti seize, or a Locktite even, to see if you could get a longer lasting seal that prevents the noise almost permanently.

It’s fun figuring this stuff out – if the noise doesn’t drive you crazy first!
Jim

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Q: Hi Jim,
I saw that you ride a Cervelo Soloist just like me, so I thought you'd be a good person to ask. This seems like it should be a simple question but... I've been asking around about how to tell if a 12-25 cassette should be replaced?

I need to replace my chain. If I don't replace the cassette at the same time, and it's bad, I run the risk of ruining the chain prematurely. If I replace the cassette and it's not bad, I'm just throwing out a good cassette (which happens to be a Shimano Ultegra model).

So, if I can know the signs of a bad cassette, I'm golden. Problem is, every bike shop I talk with tells me there is no way to really tell, and that I'm better off replacing the cassette. That's OK if you have deep pockets. I thought of comparing a new cassette directly with the old one, but is this really the only way?

Any suggestions you offer up will be greatly appreciated,

Bruce

A: What the shops are telling you is pretty accurate, Bruce, but there actually is a cassette-cog checking tool made by the German chain/hub company Rohloff, but I’ve never had a chance to try it – or even seen it anywhere. You can learn more about its use on their pdf instructions page and check out the illustration on the right. Here’s the page on it on their site.

It might be an interesting and helpful tool. I’m not sure having never used it, but I'll try to purchase one and give it a try.

Unfortunately, you can’t know if a cassette is worn out without checking it somehow. The changes to the cogs over time are so slight that you can't see the wear the way you can with the chainrings, which are made of aluminum and change shape more distinctly. But, it’s foolish to pay for a new cassette if your old one isn’t worn out. Also, unless it’s truly worn out, a cassette won’t hurt the new chain.

The standard way to check for cassette cog wear is to install the new chain (when the old one needs replacing), and then go for a test ride. While riding, you shift onto each cog, one at a time. On each cog, you stand up and push hard to feel if the chain runs smoothly and more importantly if it skips. Skipping makes a loud popping noise and you’ll almost crash if you’re not careful as the chain actually rides up and off the cog and skips forward. If you experience this, you know that the cog(s) that skip are worn out and the cassette needs to be replaced.

In the days of freewheels we could replace one cog at a time. Typically, you’d replace only the cogs that skipped and they’d usually be the smallest cogs. So, you’d put on a new 12 and 13 and the cassette would be good to go. Here's a photo of a classic Regina freewheel cog case that we used to use to build and repair Regina freewheels in the 70's and 80's.

With the advent of cassettes, though, you now have to buy the whole thing, which is a shame because you never wear out all the cogs at the same rate so you’re paying for everything when you only probably need one new cog.

You can keep a cassette lasting longer by changing the chain more frequently, but you end up paying for the chains, so you have to do the math for yourself and decide what makes the most sense. If you prefer expensive chains, you probably want to get your money's worth out of them.

Most of us just ride the chain until it’s showing signs of wear and then we replace it. Usually the cassette won’t be worn out yet. But, after you’ve replaced 2 chains, you may need a new cassette. It depends a lot of how and where you ride. So, if you’re in the rain and climbing hills all the time, you will wear things out faster than a flatlander in dry conditions.

If you decide to buy the Rohloff tool, I’d enjoy hearing how you like it and if it’s useful. I didn’t study the instructions sheet, but maybe you could even make your own version somehow as a do-it-yourself project? Though it may be easier to just test ride your bike with the new chain to see if the cassette is worn out yet.
Jim

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Q: Hello from Bucharest, Romania, Jim!

I found you by searching on Internet about bicycle noises, read it with great interest. Thank you for posting that info!

I just want to tell you about a strange noise which comes from my bike and drives me nuts. Maybe you met that before and I would be happy if sharing some info.

Shortly, while riding in sitting position with every pedal revolution I hear a noise coming from the upper tube of the frame. Sounds like metal crack. And the weird thing: when I loosened and then tightened the seat binder bolt the noise disappears for a while (let's say like 10-15 km of riding) and then reappears.

I already spray lubed it, installed it back, and it did nothing. The noise also appears if staying only in sitting position and moving back and forth without pedaling, but when I lean forward my upper body it starts to disappears. It seems to me like a sort of tension is creating over time between seat post and frame.

I'll let you know in case I found a solution and maybe you'll find it useful to put it on your website.
I'll be glad to help out other cyclists.

In case you have any suggestion please let me know, I would highly appreciate!

Regards,
Lucian

A: Nice to hear from you, Lucian, but sorry to hear about the noise on your Scott Scale 50 bicycle. Have you tried using a semi-permanent grease on the surface of the seatpost, inside the clamp around the frame and on the bolt too? There’s something called anti-seize. It’s a kind of lubricant designed to not evaporate or wear off. The kind I have is silver. If you get it on your hands, it’s hard to get off because it’s sticks so well.

If you can find this stuff, and apply it to those parts, it might make the noise go away forever. I would also take the time to disassemble the seat clamp at the top of the seatpost – the part that clamps the seat. Then lube those parts and put it back together. That’s an area where these noises come from too, and if the seatpost was not lubed already, they may have forgotten to lube the seatpost clamp/seat interface too.

These steps should quiet your bicycle!
Jim

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Q: Hello Jim,

Here I am again with a problem facing to. I took apart my Shimano Nexus internal-gear hub, because it started to have some sandy noise from it (suspected that some dirt penetrated under the sealing). Took off the whole gear set from the hub as one, washed in petrol, put some grease on it and installed back.

Even though it seems everything in the right place, in gears 3-7 and when using the pedal brake, it has an awful cracking noise. Any hints what did I do wrong? I used white vaseline from the pharmacy as grease, can it be the mistake?

Thanks,
Béla

A: Hi Béla,
I suspect that when you washed it with petrol you removed all the lubrication. Petrol is too harsh for cleaning bicycle parts like hub gears. It's so powerful it cuts through and ruins any lubricants inside and you end up with a part that's dry and no longer lubricated. This puts metal parts that touch each other and need to mesh correctly in jeopardy because they are now running metal on metal with no film of lube between them.

Lubing it with Vaseline wouldn't likely solve the problem. The petrol gets inside the parts and washes out all the lube. The Vaseline - even if you spread it and push it - will have a hard time getting between parts and lubricating them adequately.

What I would try is taking it apart again and lubricating it with a thick oil, like automobile motor oil. You need to get this inside the parts. Be sure not to get it on any parts in the brake that are required to provide friction for stopping. But, get it inside the moving parts that mesh for shifting/gearing. One approach would be to soak the parts in an oil bath for a while so the oil really penetrates. Then, you'd want to let it drain out and wipe the outside of the part clean. Oil will leak out in use later, but you can use a rag to wipe it off. And, you know the part is lubed inside.

In the future for cleaning you can use a thin oil. This will wash out dirt while keeping the lube intact inside the parts. You never want to remove all the lube because it's hard to get it back in there. That's why it's a problem to clean parts with petrol or engine-cleaner solvents.

You should us a good bicycle grease on any hub bearings. Vaseline is too thin to last long enough.

I hope this helps get the hub running nicely again,
Jim

Q&A: Making a Bolt-On Front Wheel Into a Quick-Release

With so many people converting classic old 10-speeds into city bikes, and it being an excellent fall bicycle project, I thought this question was a great one for an extra-long answer.


Q: Hi Jim,
I saw your website and like it. I was trying to learn how to install a quick-release skewer on the front wheel of my bicycle so I can take the wheel on and off without needing tools. I bought just the quick-release skewer at the bike shop because I thought that’s what I needed.

When I got home, I unscrewed the nuts on my wheel and removed it from the bike frame, but I couldn’t figure out how to attach the quick release. I thought it took the place of the big bolt running through the wheel that the nuts were screwed onto. But, I can’t see any way to attach the skewer to it. And, I can’t get the bolt out of the wheel. Can you please explain what I need to do?

Thanks!
Carol

Click to enlarge!

A: That’s an excellent question, Carol. It's a bit complicated to explain, but I'm sure it'll help a lot of cyclists, for example someone upgrading an old ten-speed to a fixie.  Because, changing a bolt-on front wheel into a quick-release wheel lets you remove the wheel without tools and that makes flat-tire repairs easier, lets you remove the wheel so you can place it next to the rear wheel for locking your bicycle with a U-lock, and it makes it easier to remove the wheel for putting it in a car for travel too. Removing the front wheel is required for putting a bike in some car racks too.

Definitions
To explain how to switch to a quick-release axle, let’s start with some bicycle part definitions. You have a bolt-on wheel. A wheel that is held onto your bicycle with nuts. That threaded part that the nuts you removed were screwed onto is called the axle. The part of the wheel the axle passes through is called the hub. Your axle type is called a bolt-on or solid axle because it’s basically a threaded steel rod.

What you want to do is turn your wheel into a quick-release wheel. In order to do this, you need to remove that solid, bolt-on axle and the parts on it, and replace them with a quick-release compatible axle and parts (called a quick-release axle set).

This new quick-release axle set will have a hollow axle (it will have a hole right down the middle). It will also have a shorter axle that does not protrude past the frame on either side. The quick-release axle set gets installed in the wheel. When that’s done, the quick-release skewer gets installed into the hollow QR axle and then your wheel will be a quick-release wheel. Here’s an animated explanation of how to operate a quick release skewer in case they’re new to you.

What's Needed
In order to change the axles in your front wheel, you need to get the right quick-release axle set for the hub on your wheel. Since hubs vary a lot, the best way to do this is to visit a bicycle shop with your wheel and tell them what you want to do. They can look at your wheel and the axle set it has and check their selection of quick-release compatible axle sets to find the one that will fit your wheel. You should probably call first to make sure they have axle sets in stock and don’t need to order one for you.

To switch the axle sets, you need cone wrenches to remove the parts on your current axle so that you can take it out of the hub. Then you can install the new quick release-compatible axle set. Cone wrenches aren’t expensive, but it may be cheaper/easier to have the shop change the axle versus the cost of the tools, parts and labor. Once the QR axle set is in there, your wheel will be a QR wheel.

The photo shows the differences between the axles sets. Note that the quick release includes the lever (on the left), the skewer (the rod that passes through the hollow axle), 2 springs (that keep the quick release ends away from the axle so they’re not in the way when you put your wheel on), and the quick-release cap, the part on the far right that closes on the right side of the fork to lock the wheel on when you close the quick-release lever.

You can also see an example of cone wrenches. Shown are my vintage Campagnolo cone wrenches, among my favorite tools. The ones you get will look different but have the same thin jaws. They’re thin enough to fit in between the outside nut on the axle and the cone. You hold the cone with the cone wrench that fits, and turn the outside nut counterclockwise to loosen it. Then you can take both off the axle and pull the axle out of the hub.

The cone wrench has to fit the cone and they come in different sizes, so if you want to buy the wrench, you need to either buy several sizes and hope you get the right one, or measure the flats on your cone on your axle and order the wrench that’s the right size. You'll probably need a 13, 14 or 15mm cone wrench. Some shops sell cone wrenches too and they could tell you which one to buy if you brought your wheel in for them to look at.

Check The Hub Bearings Too
When you remove the bolt-on axle, look inside the hub at the bearings. There should be nice, shiny steel ball bearings inside with a film of grease on them that’s clear or white. If instead you see black grime or red rust, you’ll want to purchase new bearings and replace your old ones with them. Be sure to clean the inside of the hub thoroughly and put new, clean bicycle grease in before installing the new ball bearings and axle set.

Adjusting The Hub Bearings
Use your cone wrench(es) to fine-tune the bearing adjustment. The new axle set should feel super smooth when you turn it with your fingers, and there should only be the tiniest trace of play when you pull up and down on the axle. Also, be sure to lock the adjustment by tightening the locknut against the cone. Check both sides, too. When you adjustment is right, the slight play in the axle will go away when you clamp the wheel in your bicycle.

Troubleshooting Tips
Here are few issues you may run into when switching axles, and workarounds for dealing with them.

Issue
The new cones are larger in diameter than the old ones and they don’t fit through the dustcaps on the hubs.

Solution
If you have a grinder or a drill press, it’s easy to machine the cones to a smaller diameter to fit through the dust caps. To do it on the grinder, leave the cone loose on the axle. Then hold the axle and rest a finger on the cone as you touch the cone to the grinder. This lets the cone move along the axle while you apply just enough pressure to remove enough material off the cone, letting the cone turn beneath your finger, which acts as a brake to control how long each part of the cones gets ground by the grinder.

On the drill press, you can put the axle in the drill-press chuck and turn on the drill press and simply hold sandpaper or a file against the cone to machine it to a smaller diameter.

Issue
The quick-release axle set went into the wheel fine, but now the wheel doesn’t fit into the bicycle because the fork is too narrow.

Solution
You need to spread the fork blades to be wide enough apart to accept the new, wider axle spacing. This is a little scary, but the forks that you’ll experience this with are usually made of relatively soft steel. If you stand in front of the bicycle and grip one fork leg in each hand and pull outward evenly and simultaneously with both hands, there’s an excellent chance you’ll be able to add the 2 or 3mm you need on each side for the new axle to fit. If you get it right, the wheel will slip right in and be centered when you tighten the quick release. If you get it wrong, you’ll need to move one side of the fork a little until the wheel fits and is centered.

Issue
The quick-release axle set went into the wheel fine, and the wheel fits in the bicycle fine, but when you close the quick release it doesn’t clamp down on the frame - the wheel remains loose - it won’t tighten.

Solution
This issue is caused by basic stamped-steel dropouts (the parts at the end of the fork that the quick release clamps against), that are thinner than the higher-quality dropouts quick releases were designed around. The problem is that the quick-release axle is too long for these narrow dropouts. So, when you try to close it and tighten the wheel, the QR bumps into the end of the axle instead of clamping on the fork dropouts. The fix is filing material off the ends of the axle until they no longer interfere with the quick release.

There you go! Now, enjoy the convenience and fun of having a quick-release front wheel!
Jim

TECH TIPS: Hands-Only Tire Installation contin.

I received some fun feedback on yesterday's post on installing and removing bicycle tires by hand only - no tire levers needed. A common theme though was doubt - people like the idea but doubt it's possible with their tire or wheel. So, I thought I'd elaborate a little and provide a few more tips to help people get past that.

Actually, when I got my first real bike shop job at Andy's Bike Shop, I didn't think I could pop tires on and off by hand either. But, my boss Bruce Anderson showed me how and made it very clear that I had to fix flat tires as quickly as possible. So I had to master the hands-only technique. Once I knew the secret of the rim well (illustration, right), it wasn't that hard. Plus, the other mechanics in the shop would have ridiculed the new guy had I cheated and used tire levers and I sure didn't want that.

There are things that make the job much harder: it's important to put a little air in the tube to keep it from getting trapped beneath the tires during installation. But, once you've got one side of the tire on and the tube inside the tire and up on the rim all the way around, the air in the tube makes it harder to put the other side of the tire on. So, be sure to let it all out. That'll make popping the tire on by hand easier (but be sure not to let the tube get beneath the edge of tire). Likewise, when removing the tire, be sure you go around and squeeze it and press the valve tip and get every bit of air out.

When I was the service manager at the Bicycle Center in Santa Cruz, one of my mechanics used to say to the other guys when they were getting frustrated trying to fix something, "Now, Fred, remember, you've got to be smarter than that front derailleur" (or whatever bike part they were annoyed at). I always liked that, and it holds true for bicycle tire installation and removal too. If you come at it with confidence and focus and use the mechanical principle of the rim well, you will succeed. If you get frustrated and turn it into a wrestling match you probably won't.

Another thing that makes it much harder: If the tube is too wide for the tire and has to be stuffed in there and doesn't want to stay, switch to one that's narrower than the tire. That helps a lot. Thornproof tubes, which have thick rubber on top, make it much harder too, and I'd ditch them, unless you really need them because without them you'd have flats all the time. Another item that can make it more difficult is a thick rim strip - that rubber or cloth liner covering the holes inside the rim. Ideally it will be made of a material only 1 or 2mm thick, like a Jantex or Velox cloth rim strip. Or you can use tough filament packing tape if you don't want to buy an actual bicycle rim strip.

Hope these additional tire taming tricks help you master this fun, impressive and professional technique! As a bonus, here's a little flat tire humor.
Jim

Q&A: Brake hoods, if it ain't busted, broken spokes, pain x 2

Q: Thought this might be a good question for your blog, Jim. I’m sure you’ve come across this plenty over the years. I just picked up a nice barn-fresh Miyata 210 that I have put back into commuter service. Bike needed nothing but air in the tires and a little bit of lube here and there to get it back on the road, and it of course still needs a bath… my question is about the gum hoods on the brake levers – they’ve melted and bubbled up over the years, and now have the consistency of gummi bears. What is the best method of removing the old gum so I can get some shiny new ones on there?

Thanks,
Campbell

A: That Miyata is a nice find, Campbell. I’m glad it’s found an owner who’s going to breathe new life into it and use it. Miyatas are sweet bikes that ride great. I sold a lot of those in the eighties. On your hoods, you might be able to slice a cut in one side and then peel them off carefully in one piece. If they fall apart and pieces remain stuck all over the lever bodies, try a benign solvent like isopropyl alcohol. If you wet the hoods being sure to get it beneath as much as possible - and wait a little bit, they should loosen letting you pick them off piece by piece.

You could also try WD-40 which has solvent in it. You’ll just want to clean the levers afterward so the new hoods don’t slip around. You could also get the hood bits off with a wire brush. The levers are aluminum so you’ll scratch them with the wire bristles but it won’t hurt them and you won’t see it when the new hoods are on.

For new hoods, you need to find a shop that has them in stock or you’ll need to ask them to order them. It may be tricky to impossible to find an exact fit, but the distributor named QBP has part #BR1181, which is a pair of Dia-Compe Cane Creek Standard Non-Aero Hoods in Brown and they look right for your levers. They should sell for about $10 per pair. Since this distributor has them, you might search online to see if someone sells them online. Or you might be able to call Cane Creek and ask them for a local shop that has them in stock.

They also come in black, and the black ones sometimes last longer than the brown (gum) ones, and may never get as bad as these did.

Note that for modern hoods, replacements are usually readily available. And, a tip to make new hood installation easy is to soak them in warm water for a few minutes so they'll be more compliant and slip right up and over the lever and onto the brake lever hood. If you can't find the hoods you need or want something unusual like a custom color, try Hudz hoods.

Enjoy that nice Miyata,
Jim
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Q: Hi Jim,
I follow you on roadbikerider.com and appreciate all your information for roadies. I am 55 years old and put 2,000 miles on in the summer here in eastern Wisconsin. In 2007 I bought a custom made ID8 from Seven with Shimano Dura-Ace components. I have 4,000 miles on the bike. When I spin the crank, front and back wheels, the smooth sound is just like when I bought it. I am meticulous when it come to cleaning the chain and such. Should I have the bearings and crank in for routine maintenance even though the bearings run smooth? If it isn't broke should I fix it?

Rick

A: It's hard for me to know whether anything is worn out or not from what you wrote, Rick, but after 4,000 miles and 3 years of use, it would be smart to at least check things. A bike shop mechanic would probably be happy to take a look and let you know. It'll only take about 5 minutes and estimates like this are usually free if you don't choose or need to have any work done.

After 3 years of use and 4,000 miles you'd expect that you might need new tires, brake pads, perhaps a cable and maybe a chain and cassette. But, if someone really is meticulous and keeps the parts super clean and doesn't abuse the bike or ride in the rain, these parts can last a long time and may not need to be replaced yet.

You didn't say whether you had replaced the chain. But, if you're still on the original chain, one quick way you can gauge wear and tear is to measure the chain. If it's in good shape you'll be able to measure exactly 12 inches between 2 pins. If you do this and get 1 1/8 inches or longer, it tells you that you've worn out the chain and that's a sign that you might need other parts equally worn replaced.

Note that the sealed bottom bracket bearing assembly can last a long time. If the crankset still spins smoothly with a slight hydraulic resistance it's probably still fine. One more thing - if you are in the flat part of Wisconsin and don't climb steep hills much, that reduces the wear and tear on a bicycle too.

Hope these tips are helpful and thanks for your kind words about my writing on RBR. I appreciate it,

Jim
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Q: Jim - I ride a Fuji Absolute 4.0, Jim, and am constantly breaking spokes and retruing wheels, especially the rear. I have taken it to two different shops and they both said there are no mechanical defects. I am very careful about bumps, terrain, RR tracks, etc. I have heard that certain rims are rated to handle specific loads but the shops do not agree. I am 6'2"/225lbs. The rims are Alex ID 19.

Any ideas on why the spokes are breaking and the best fix?
Kent

A: Hi Kent,
Yes. When you break spokes, the issue is almost always bad spokes. I would recommend having the spokes replaced with quality spokes. My favorite are DT 14-gauge stainless steel spokes. You’ll want to find a shop that has a good wheelbuilder and just have him rebuild your wheel with these spokes. Phil Wood and Wheelsmith also make quality stainless steel spokes, but go with one of these types, and I prefer DT (from Switzerland) just because I've been using them the longest.

The other way to deal with broken spokes is to fix the spokes one at a time as they break, replacing them one by one with the DT stainless spokes. That will work too, but it will mean that you keep breaking spokes. So, you will keep having to bring the bike in, or learn to fix the spokes yourself and carry some spokes on longer rides so you can fix one if it breaks. It’s pretty easy to do it if you have the tools to remove the cassette so that you can put in the new spoke.

Here's a tip that makes it so easy you can almost do it blindfolded: Once you have the broken spoke out and the new spoke in, to true and tension the wheel, just tighten the spoke nipple and pluck the spoke to listen to the sound it makes. When it makes the same pitch of ping when you pluck it as the spokes next to it make (on the same side of the wheel), the rim will be reasonably true and tensioned and the wheel ready to ride on.

Happy wheel truing,
Jim
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Q: My name is Kraig and having started riding 3 1/2 years ago I am having some mid-upper back problems after cycling. I found your website through a friend and saw your email address and thought I'd drop a line to see if you had any suggestions. I am riding a Specialized Tarmac that was fit by my LBS (Specialized dealer). I experience no discomfort while riding but usually later in the day or more often the next day I notice my mid-upper back is stiff and my rear right calf has discomfort. I have seen a sports med Dr and he said the calf issue is related to the back. Without having fit me do you have any suggestions?

Sincerely,
Kraig

A: Nice to E-meet you, Kraig. Why don’t you start by taking a look at these two articles on my site. They are designed to make it relatively easy for anyone to fit themselves on a bike or find basic fit problems:

This article is a step-by-step bike fit. By reading the steps you should get a feel for whether you got a good fit or some steps might have been missed. This article is more basic. It’s problems and solutions for bike fitting.

In my experience, mid back issues after cycling can be because the distance between your seat and your handlebars is too close. This will cause you to crunch, or bend too much, sort of putting a kink in your back. Ideally when cycling you will have a nice, straight, relaxed back, no curvature except what’s natural for your back.

So, the fix might be as simple as getting a longer stem that lets you stretch your back out to its natural position.

One no-cost way to test this theory is to put your bike on a trainer and then ride with your hands way out on the brake hoods as if they were the handlebars. If this feels more comfortable it’s an indication that your bars may be too close because of too short a stem.

That’s just one idea, but it is a common cause of middle/top-of-the-back pain. Check out my bike fit articles and think about this and let me know what you find and I’m happy to suggest other things as needed.

Hope this helps get you riding pain-free!
Jim
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Q: Hello Jim,
I ride a Specialized Roubaix road bike and have a problem. No matter how I adjust my saddle, fore/aft, height, tilt, I always seem to get skin irritations in the perineum area after about 20 miles. Even when I change saddles (Fizik Aliante, Selle Italia Prolink Gel Flow) I still have the same problem. However, the redness and discomfort spots are only on the left side of my body.

I recently had my chiropractor measure my legs and found my left is 1/8-inch shorter than the right. Would saddle rotation from center correct the problem and if so which direction should I turn the saddle nose and how much?

I don't use a chamois cream but have thought about Bag Balm but am afraid that it won't wash out of the chamois with machine washing. Do you have any other suggestions to correct the problem? I'd prefer to fit on the bike correctly rather than use a cream to cover up an existing problem. I have been professionally fitted, explained the problem, but never received advice that corrected it.

Thanks,
Richard

A: Since it’s the one thing you haven’t tried, Richard, I would recommend trying the chamois lubes like Chamois Butt'r. Many road riders swear by it and apply it before every ride. Many won’t ride an inch without it, too. And, I’m talking about regular century riders and even pro racers. It washes out of the chamois, but it’s antibacterial and usually made to soften and preserve the chamois, not harm it in any way.

I would try that and see if it solves your problem. You are riding a really nice bike, and nice seats, so I don’t think the problem is equipment based. Sometimes the shorts are the culprit but I assume you’ve tried quality shorts and had the same issue. If not, try a premier brand like Capo. They’re way expensive, but it’s like sitting on a cloud.

I wouldn’t worry about leg-length discrepancy unless it was a lot more than 1/8 inch. Your body can easily adapt for small differences and 1/8 inch is nothing to worry about in my experience. If you were an inch off, it might make sense to experiment. One very quick check is to look and see if your seat is wearing away on one side and like new on the other. That’s a classic sign of one leg reaching while the other leg is bending. But, I’ll be surprised if you have this issue with one leg just slightly different. I’ve been told that almost everyone has some discrepancy.

Here, also, is a link to a page on the website roadbikerider.com, for which I also write. This page has a bunch of proven solutions for saddle sores that might help you too:


I hope the lube solves the problem,
Jim
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Q&A: What's That Clicking Noise? and more

Tech Q & A: What's That Clicking Noise? Spokes, Shifters and Tricycles

Q: Jim -

I have a Diamondback Deluxe bicycle and as it rolls it goes click, click, click, click. It has 21 speeds and has Shimano components. If you pedal it does not click. As soon as you stop pedaling and coast, it clicks. If you pedal backwards the amount of clicking increases. If you go faster it clicks faster too. I assume it has something to do with the gears? Is there any way to stop it from doing this?

Thanks,

Tim

A: Great question, Tim, and you're not the first to ask me how to stop this noise. To help explain, here's a photo I took of a disassembled freewheel to show you what makes bicycles click (click to enlarge). Almost all bicycles with gears do this. And, it’s an important part of the bike that’s making the clicking so you don’t want to try to stop it.

If it really bothers you, it's possible to lubricate the bearings inside the freewheel/cassette (the mechanism that clicks) with slightly heavier oil to make the clicking quieter. But it's a little tricky to get the oil in there as freewheels and cassettes are usually semi sealed at the factory. So, it's usually not worth the effort just to make it a little quieter.

Hope this helps,

Jim

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Q: Good morning Jim,

Hello from a sunny but cool Costa Blanca. I have just dug my mountain bike out of mothballs (been working in UK for 2 years). All seemed fine except whilst riding up a slight incline the rear derailleur seems to be jumping a cog every 3 or 4 revolutions I have tried altering the settings, but to no avail. I should point out that it only does this in 3rd to 6th on each of the gear settings Hi through Med to Low. Any ideas what I am missing (apart from a brain!)?

Your assistance would be appreciated,

Peter

A: Hi Peter,

Have you checked to see if the shift lever is loose and not holding the derailleur in gear? That’s a common cause of what you describe. Depending on what type of shifters you have on your bike it might be as simple as tightening a tension screw on the shifter clockwise to keep the shifter from moving and allowing the derailleur to shift out of gear.

If this is what’s wrong you should be able to see the shift lever move about the same time the derailleur skips out of gear. Take a look at that and maybe it will solve the problem. You can also check this page on my website that provides a step-by-step on rear derailleur adjustment.

Hopefully something here will help. I’m happy to offer more help if needed,

Jim, from now, windy, chilly and wet Northern California
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Q: Hello Jim,

I came across your website and am looking forward to referencing your bicycle workshop book! Question: Is it possible to order one and two spokes rather than a whole box? I am looking for spares, but find that most online stores only carry full boxes, varying in quantity. Seems like a headache for a sub-dollar item to be shipped I suppose. And then my LBS's only had misc spokes on hand and some had none, but could order for me entire boxes of a given size. Curious as to your experience. Thanks for the online reading and expert insight!

Justin

A: Thanks for the email, Justin. Any good bicycle shop should be happy to sell you however many spokes you need. They might be out of stock of a certain size sometimes, but most good shops should have spokes in most common sizes in order to fix wheels. Some top shops even have the precision +/- $3,700 Phil Wood spoke cutting/threading machine that lets them "make" spokes in any size they want (photo).

Still, I know it isn’t like it used to be and that there are some shops that don’t even do any wheelbuilding since they buy all their wheels already built and don’t do major wheel repairs. But you should still be able to find a shop with spokes and they should be happy to sell you what you need. I’d just call around until you find a bicycle shop with spokes. Since you're somewhere in Wisconsin, have you tried Yellow Jersey in Madison?

FYI: Online places can’t make any money selling individual spokes so they require you to buy the whole box in most cases. Hope you can find the right shop for those spokes.

Happy wheelbuilding,

Jim
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Q: Jim, don't know if you can help, but here goes -

I work for a city in Arizona and recently we were given a Mead Cossack tricycle by a man who was throwing it away. The man told us it was his 84 year old wife's bike as a child and she no longer wanted it. The tricycle is in great shape for its age. missing only the fabric off the seat and the right pedal. The rubber on all the tires is still there, only cracked on the main wheel. The body is in great shape, just faded. The questions we have are: is it worth anything and if the city wants to restore it for the city hall, where do we begin? Any history would help!

Thanks in advance for any help you can provide,

Scott

A: Hi Scott,

I’m not a tricycle expert, but I can give you a link to a site that seems to be helpful, though they don’t list the Mead you have. It’s http://www.tricyclefetish.com/

You’ll see they claim to answer questions so maybe you can send a photo and get some help with your bike. You can also check eBay.com, look for trikes similar in age or style to yours and watch auctions to get a feel for value. In my experience, vintage trikes go for $50 to $75 if they’re excellent, original, all-there examples, but they have to be pretty special.

Sorry I can’t offer more help but I hope this gets you started,

Jim
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Q&A: Old Pedals, What's Upright, Chaindrag, Holy Bars, The Deal On Steel

Q: Hi Jim!
I was directed to your website by someone who works in my local bike shop. I recently purchased a pair of 1970's vintage Lambert pedals in gold. I was planning on using them on a kind of retro mountain bike commuter build-up. I am using brand-new 2010 Race Face cranks. I bought pedals online, and I was told by the seller that they were 9/16-inch, which is standard mountain bike size. They indeed look to be 9/16, but will not thread into the cranks or into several other older mountain bike cranks I have tried them in.

The threads look to be the same pitch (I think this is the correct term for spacing of threads) when compared to another mountain bike pedal which will screw in. The threads on the Lambert pedals look to be thicker and not as pointed. It seems like they have a`flat' on top. Lambert had their own cranks, and it has been suggested to me they might have cut their own style of thread to be specific to their cranks; or are these threads damaged? Unfortunately I've provided a photo. Any insight you can shed would be appreciated. I'd like to sound intelligent if I need to contact the seller.
Roy

A: Hi Roy,
There were some unusual things about the Lamberts but the pedals should have standard threading (9/16 x 20). The weird one is French but you wouldn’t expect to see that on a Lambert. There is a difference in thread pitch (the angle/shape of the thread) between British and Italian and Japanese 9/16-inch pedal threads but it doesn’t prevent them from going together. It can make screwing them in tougher though.

So, I think the threads are probably slightly different, the pedals being old, the crankset being new. What I would do in the shop if I was troubleshooting this is run a tap through the crank to make sure the threads are in perfect shape. Then I would try the pedals again. If you can get them started, they should go in. Be sure to grease the threads liberally and don’t force them in until you’re positive that the threads are mated well and the pedal is going in straight.

Also, I’m sure you know this but just in case, be absolutely certain to put the right pedal on the drive side and the left pedal on the non drive side, the former gets turned clockwise and the L gets turned counterclockwise. I see people ruin so many pedals and crankarms that I have to mention that. For more tips, you can read all about pedal installation/removal here.

If you don’t have pedal taps a shop should be happy to run them through your cranks to clean up the threads for next to nothing. It only takes about 5 minutes.

Lastly, I don’t want to jinx you but the Lambert bicycles were notoriously poor quality. I would be very careful riding those Lambert pedals. Lambert frames and forks broke, their cranks were as soft as butter and bent simply when you shifted the front derailleur, and there were numerous other problems. Lamberts are interesting history pieces for sure, but in my experience it’s a mistake to depend on them or the Lambert parts. That’s just a caution. Classic Rendezvous has a lot more about Lamberts. (The photo shown is theirs.)

Hope this is helpful,
Jim
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Q: I'm shopping and considering two different road bikes, Jim. One is more upright than the other. What does that mean? Which bike dimensions are the most important?
Thanks,
Steve

A: Boy that’s tricky to answer, Steve, because “upright” can mean a few things and I don’t know which you’re talking about. But, I’ll take an educated guess based on what’s going on in road bike design and say that what you’re probably comparing is a true road-racing bike and an upright version of the same bike, for example Cervelo’s S3 versus their RS (visit www.cervelo.com to compare them if you want).

Basically the former is a true road racing bike because it’s built for every possible competitive edge, no holds barred. This means a low, aero rider position, pretty extreme and best for flexible, fit athletes. This is decidedly not right for an awful lot of people, but still probably the majority of people who go shopping for road racing bikes and want the “best” end up with a bike like this. It’s a little like wanting a dream sports car and ending up in a Formula 1 race car.

Recently some companies are realizing that you can get 99% of the performance of this bike and heck of a lot more fun for the average sport rider if you just make it a little more “upright,” by designing the frame with a taller head tube that raises the bars an inch or so. Sometimes you’ll find a very slightly longer wheelbase. And, on some bikes, like Specialized’s there are even vibration damping elastomer widgets in the fork and stays to eliminate a lot of road shock.

But, essentially it’s a different rider position that’s a touch more upright that makes most people feel far more comfortable so they can enjoy all the excitement of road riding without any of the suffering of the super low aero position – and the best part is that other riders can't tell the difference unless they really, really know their bikes.

Hope this is helpful. Oh, FYI, the other upright is the old use, which was simply talking about how steeply pitched the seat tube and the head tube on the frame was. This affects comfort but is mostly used for dialing in the handling for the bike’s stated purpose such as criterium racing, road races, spints, climbs, etc. That’s why I assumed you were asked about the other.

Cheers,
Jim
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Q: Hi Jim,
On my rear derailleur, when the chain is on the highest gear (smallest sprocket), the chain coming into the pulley loop "rubs" with the chain exiting the pulley loop. I've had the bike just over a year, and the chain has never been taken off, or even the back wheel, as far as I know. But it must not have been like this when I bought it. How can I fix this?

Thanks in advance,
John

A: First, John, you want to make sure the chain doesn't need to be this long. To do this, shift onto the big/big combination (large chainring/large cog). You want to make sure your bike will shift up there and that there's a little slack when it's in that position. If so, you can remove a pair of links and see if it shortens the chain enough to prevent it rubbing.

Keep in mind that you probably wouldn't ride in the gear that causes it to rub. That's the small chainring/small cog combination and that's a "crossover" gear that causes wear and rough pedaling. Since you never/rarely ride in that gear it doesn't matter if the chain overlaps on it. And, if you have to shorten the chain so much to prevent the rubbing that your bike won't shift onto the big/big, that's a worse problem. It's a problem because it's relatively easy to forget and shift onto the big/big. Even though you don't want to ride in that crossover gear either, if you mistakenly shift up there and the chain is too tight, it's possible for the chain to get stuck up there so bad that you have to get off and remove your wheel to get enough slack to get the chain off the large chainring.

So, you want to experiment a little bit to make sure you have the slack to take some links out to solve the rubbing but not lose the ability to shift onto the big/big.

Hope that makes sense,
Jim
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Q: Hi Jim,
I recently bought a pair of CLB brake levers, which require the brake cables to be routed through the handlebars. I've already done the drilling, but now I'm getting nervous as I haven't really found anything other than old photos on the internet that tell me conclusively whether or not this is safe.

The handlebars are upright bars, the swept back type you see on most dutch bikes for instance. Fairly new, not really used but quite a few scratches. It's made of aluminium. The holes are 5mm in diameter but drilled at an angle so it's more of an oval. They are about 4 inches from either side of the stem (and there are also holes at the ends of the bars to secure the levers). I've filed the edges of the holes as well.

What do you think? I'm still finishing the build so haven't ridden it yet, but before I do or before I let someone else ride it, I'd like some reassurance they won't fail while I'm pumping up a hill (or sloping street, rather) in the midst of London traffic. I'm rather small if that matters- 52kg, but I'll have mates riding it occasionally as well, who could weigh as much as 100kg.

Looking forward to your advice.

Regards,
Jacque

A: Boy, that's a tough one, Jacque. The only way to know for sure is to know more about the handlebars. For example, if you had a second pair of bars you could drill them too and then see if you can bend or break the bars, maybe hanging from them or having a heavy friend hang from them (after attaching them overhead somehow).

Aluminum bars like that definitely aren't made to be drilled and with wide bars like that you have a lot of leverage. But then 5mm is a very small hole. If the bars were steel, I probably wouldn't worry about it, but it's the aluminum that worries me. Even if you just put a deep scratch in aluminum it can lead to a crack over time.

Can you see inside the hole to get an idea of the wall thickness of the aluminum? And, how far from the clamping section did you drill the holes? Right next to the clamp is where most of the stress is centered. If you were inches away from that and if the bar is 3 or 4mm thick aluminum, I'd feel a lot better about it than if it's 1mm thick and the holes are close.

I wish I could give you better news but you're doing the right thing being safe about it. When handlebars break it almost always leads to a crash, often a serious one. I would go with levers that don't require drilling maybe.

Hope this helps,
Jim
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Q: Jim,
From your experience can the average rider tell the difference between the different steel tubing grades used in modern bicycle frames? I know the cheap low-end stuff in WalMart bikes is dead and heavy, that is not the question. I have a 4130 chromoly Bianchi that really rides nice. I have a 631 Reynolds Jamis that rides excellent and is rather light at 18.5 pounds as a complete bike. So, when you move up to 853, 953 or the high-end Italian tubing, other than weight is the ride that much different? Also I understand the construction methods used such as TIG welding and lug and tube, but other than asthetics is there really any difference? It seems that you pay an awful lot for these upgrades.

Many thanks,
Bill

A: You sure know how to ask a tough question, Bill. Whether different quality steels ride differently is what riders have been debating since about 1886. The classic experiment would be to build identical bicycles with different steel and see if YOU could feel a difference. Some people say they can, some people say they can’t. In my experience, as long as the builder uses a great-riding geometry, and uses quality double-butted steel tubing, any steel bike will ride really nicely. I’ve ridden impressive Reynolds, Columbus, Tange, Champion, Ishiwata, Vitus, True Temper frames. If they get the best geometry and high quality tubing the bikes should all impress you with the ride. Actually that’s one of the limitations of steel – pretty similar characteristics from tubeset to tubeset. Which is why carbon has become so popular. Unlike steel, carbon can be manipulated almost to the molecular level by the builder. It starts as a thread, so by how it’s woven and laid up, much more can be done to fine tune the ride.

But, steel is still a wonderful choice for ride quality, durability, repairability, classic style, economy, and on and on.

If you are interested, I believe Jan Heine at Bicycle Quarterly recently did a test of similar steel bikes. You might visit his website and see if he’s offering it online. You may need to buy a back issue of his magazine to read it, but make sure it’s on the right topic first. I remember a test of identical bikes, but I’m not sure what all the parameters were. Still, it’s a very interesting magazine that not enough people know about so maybe you’d like to receive it.

Jim
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Q&A: Carbon touch-up, triple upgrade, how much chain lube

Q: Hi Jim,
I have a Bontrager X-Lite carbon handlebar that I want to sell, and I don’t know what I can use to polish it up. The bar’s scratched where the grips were, and I need to make it look shiny and pretty as much as I can! How would I go about that?

Thanks!
Staci

A: Good question, Staci. Since the handlebar is actually scratched, you're probably going to need to refresh the clear coat that was originally on there in the area that was scratched. (I'm not positive your bars had a clear coat, but most do.) An easy shortcut that might work is to just get some clear fingernail polish and take the brush and try painting the scratches just like you were doing your nails (if you do), and see if the scratches disappear. That sometimes works. It depends on the scratches but maybe you'll get lucky. If so you'll be done with your "repair" in a few minutes, plus drying time. This works as a way to touch up a paint chip on carbon frames or parts too. Just get the right color of fingernail polish for a paint finish (fingernail polish comes in an amazing assortment of colors and is often easier to find than regular touch-up paint... FYI, I even know someone who painted an entire frame with fingernail polish).

If this doesn't do the trick, it might be that the bars are scratched more. In general you want to be very careful with any carbon part that has scratches on it because carbon as a material is highly notch sensitive. This means that if you scratch it deep enough you create a weak point in the piece (a notch) that will usually result in the part breaking right at the scratch/notch.

The tricky part is figuring out what's a minor scratch and what's a real notch you need to be concerned about. You can usually do this with a good magnifying glass. A notch to be worried about looks like a break, or if you have a strong magnifying glass, it looks like a small Grand Canyon in your part where you can see down into the granular structure of your part (your handlebar). A scratch won't look like this. It will be a shallow indentation. Here are lots more tips on caring for carbon bicyles and components.

In most cases what you are describing from the grips on your bar will be scratches in the clear coat on your handlebars, not a real notch. But, I just wanted to make this real clear since you wouldn't want to sell anyone a handlebar and then have it break when they are riding. An example of a notch issue is when you overtighten levers on the bars, or if the levers are slightly loose and they move around on the bars and actually cut into the carbon fibers of the bar. That wouldn't be good.

For simple surface scratches in the clear coat the fix is relatively easy:
1. Get some fine wet-sanding emery cloth at a place like The Home Depot. 600 or 400 grit will work fine. You only need a few pieces.
2. Put the emery cloth in a pan of water to wet it.
3. Gently sand the bars until the scratches are removed. As you sand you will roughen the clear coat on there and you won't be able to see the scratch you're working to remove. To check how it's coming along, wipe the bar with a damp rag. This will show how you are doing removing the scratches. Stop sanding when the bar is nice and smooth and the scratches are gone. Keep in mind that I am assuming these are only surface scratches. It will take too much sanding to remove deep scratches and probably not worth the trouble since they will be covered with grips/levers anyway. I would just cover deeper scratches with the clear nail polish I mentions, but again, be sure they are only scratches, not structural damage.
4. Once the bars are nice and scratch-free, clean the sanded areas completely with something like rubbing alcohol that leaves them clean and residue free.
5. To finish the job, you next spray the bars with a clear coat of enamel. You can get this at Home Depot when you pick up the 400/600 wet/dry emery cloth. Get clear coat enamel. It can be a little hard to find. You don't want what's used on wood. You want an auto body clear coat enamel paint. It's best sprayed when it's warm out, about 70 degrees. One light coat will usually do it. It dries quick.

If you do all this right the bars will look brand new when you're done. One more thing: you want wet sandpaper and to sand when wet because you need to prevent any carbon dust from being created. You don't want to breathe carbon dust. Sanding with wet paper will prevent any issues.

Hope this helps! The photo with this show carbon dropped handlebars as an example, because I use the procedure outlined above to remove even large logos on bars like these and it works perfectly (sometimes the logos don't look right with a certain frame color or if you use a stem that's not that same brand).

Jim
PS: A reader named Bill offered these great suggestions, "A better way for the carbon scratches is to go to a motorcycle shop. Buy a tube of Scratch X. It is designed for helmet faceshields and windshields. It will polish out a surface scratch quickly and leave it as new. Also in auto paint stores, 3M makes a clear-coat polish that does the same thing." Thanks Mike!
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Q: Hey Jim,
I have a blast reading and learning from your site. Thanks so much for all the great info! My wife has a Raleigh Venture 7-speed comfort bike. She wants more gears, but doesn't want to buy a new bike. I think she should, but she loves her red color that is no longer offered by Raleigh on the 2009's. I have been wondering if I can modify the bike to make it a 21 speed?. Is it as easy as adding a 3-speed shifter on the left handle, a front derailleur, triple crankset, and new chain? Or is there much more involved?

I'd like to do the job myself, but don't know what it will require beyond these components. I can run the shifter cable and install the shifter myself, but don't know how hard or easy it would be for the front derailleur or crankset. Thanks for any advice you have.

Cheers,
Michael

A: Thanks for the kind words, Michael. I appreciate it. Adding gears is usually possible, but it depends on a few things. I checked out the Venture online and from what I can tell, I believe you could install a triple crank, front derailleur and shifter and be good to go. You might or might not need a new chain. It will depend on how large a chainring is on the bike now compared to the size of the large one on the triple.

It's not a difficult job to make this upgrade but you need to figure out what to buy to make sure it all works properly. There are some dimensions to get right. So, the easiest thing might be to have your local friendly bike shop figure this out and buy the parts from them to ensure you get stuff that will work right. One issue you need to check is the cable path. I know you mentioned that you can do this, but you need a way to run the cable/housing from the new shifter to the front derailleur.

I can't tell from the photo online if the Venture is setup for that or if you'll have to come up with your own solution (clamps, zip ties, etc.) Sometimes the manufacturers include this, sometimes not. It's details like this that the shop could tell you about just by looking, and then get you what you need. Front derailleur clamp size and cable pull are other details, plus you'll want the correct bottom bracket for your frame and the triple crank you choose.

Something to think about is what you really gain by upgrading to a triple crankset. Right now the bike probably has 7 gears, some pretty easy ones, some pretty hard ones. Typically if you go to a triple you will end up with several easier and harder gears. If you knew that all your wife wanted was to make the bike easier to pedal, you could probably provide that by simply installing a larger cassette on the rear wheel. That would be a lot cheaper and easier than converting to a triple chainring setup and it would give her the gears she needed if all she really wants is easier pedaling gears.

Hope this helps and have fun dialing in the bike,
Jim
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Q: Jim:
I wonder if you can help me. I have an old Mavic sew-up rim (probably 25 to 30 years old) that I would like to change over to a clincher. I don't know whether to buy a 700c rim or a 27 inch rim. It has 36 spokes if that makes any difference. Any thoughts?

Thanks,
Bruce

A: Hi Bruce,
Sure! You should get a 700c rim. That is the same size as your sew-up rim. A 27-inch rim is actually larger diameter so your brake pads won't line up the same - they might not even brake anymore. As long as you go with a 700c, the "new" wheel will fit almost exactly the same as the old one. Also, it will be the same size as the other wheel on your bike - even more important probably ;-)

Hope this helps!
Jim
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Q: Hello,
I have a question about my bicycle chain. I use my bike to ride to the train station and then I have to leave it there all day until I get back from work. This make it hard to keep clean. I initially had a big problem with black greasy buildup on my chain. I was told that my problem could be fixed by using silicon based lubricant, and only use one or two drops. I cleaned my chain and switched to this lubricant, and the greasy buildup problem went away. Unfortunately, now my chain is prone to rust.

I was told that the way to keep rust off the chain was to keep it “well lubricated.” I think this would then put me back in the first situation again with the greasy buildup. Is there some way out of this catch 22?

Puzzled,
Larry

A: It sounds to me like you were using too much lube and then you switched to too little lube, Larry, hence the rust problem. You want to keep your chain fully lubed but not too lubed. The key is to clean it once so there's no grimy buildup and then lube each link (every link, all around the chain) with one drop each, of good quality bicycle chain lube suited to the conditions you ride in. Your local bike shop should be able to recommend a lube that's perfect for you or ask riding friends in your area what they use and check out their chains to see how they look too.

To apply, drip the lube on the links on the lower run of chain (beneath the chainstay) and do it while pedaling slowly backwards so the rear wheel is not spinning, or else the rear wheel will throw any lube that mistakenly gets on it across the room. After you lube the chain let it sit overnight so it soaks in and dries. Then wipe off the excess in the morning before riding.

Most people who ride every day for commuting or fun can ride for about 2 weeks before having to repeat the lubing process. But, you never want the chain squeaking or rusting. Those are signs of not enough lube and you'll want to relube. Greasy buildups are signs of overlubing so clean again and lube less. There's a learning curve to figuring this out and you have to find a lube that works. I use ProGold ProLink Chain lube, which is expensive but works nicely in our rather dry conditions here in Santa Cruz, California. I use it on my road bike that sees heavy use. And, I relube about every 2 weeks. I also take care to wipe the chain down before and after lubing to get any buildup off. That works well. You have to keep after it, lubing, cleaning, lubing some more, and so on, but it's pretty routine after awhile and your chain won't squeak or rust.

To a clean, smooth, quiet drivetrain,
Jim
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Q&A: Broken spokes on the road, 3-sp shifter, brake pads for wet weather

Q: Jim - good morning. I recently broke a non drive-side spoke on my Shimano Dura-Ace rear wheel on a ride. I was wondering if you had a source for replacement spokes and any advice on dealing with this when you're out on a ride. I had to call home for a ride since the wheel was too warped to straighten with the spoke missing.

Thank you
Chris


A: Hi Chris,
With all the low spoke-count wheels on the road today, broken spokes are more of a problem. When we had 32 spokes on most wheels you could break a spoke and still get home because there were enough other spokes to keep the wheel from coming too far out of true. As you discovered with your wheel, today's aero hoops go a lot more out of true when a spoke breaks and it can make the wheel wobble so badly it hits the frame rendering your bicycle unrideable, meaning you have to call for help.

I often ride with friends and we're all on modern low spoke-count wheels so I try to always carry a repair spoke called a FiberFix (photo). It's essentially a super-strong little aramid-fiber "cable" and end, that fits almost all wheels and takes the place of the broken spoke, allowing you to retension the wheel and keep riding. You can learn all about the FiberFix spoke and order one at Peter White's great site.

If you don't have something like this on a ride, you can sometimes temporarily fix a broken spoke if you're lucky. It depends on how/where the spoke broke, but if you can tie the ends of the spoke together by bending them and joining them with a piece of wire/string/zip tie (from your repair kit or found beside the road), or whatever you have handy, you might be able to get the wheel true enough to at least keep riding on it.

Now, on getting a replacement spoke, I'd recommend buying several so you have backups next time. You could try your local bike shop. Or, if they don't have them and your Shimano wheels are new, you might start by calling Shimano's tech line, telling them what happened and asking them if they could get you spokes 949.951.5003. The spokes aren't supposed to break and I think they'll be eager to get you setup with a replacements if you have new Dura-Ace wheels. You can tell them you already went to local bike shops and they didn't have the spokes.

Or, if your local bike shop has Shimano Dura-Ace wheels for sale, you could try asking them if they'd be willing to rob a spoke for you. If they're the shop where you bought the wheel that's not too much to ask and it's no big deal to remove and replace one spoke.

I don't know if they carry the DA spokes, but I've also had good luck with ExcelSports.com when I need specialty parts not available locally. You can call them at 800.627.6664.

Another workaround if you need it that might work is to see if a regular spoke can be put in for now. The first thing would be to unscrew the DA spoke at the rim and see if a basic DT spoke will thread into the DA nipple in the rim. If it does, you can try this: Find a shop with a Phil Wood spoke tool - a professional tool some shops have that puts perfect threads on spokes. If you can find one, they should be able to use it to make you a spoke that will work temporarily. The DA spokes are threaded on both ends. So they can take the tool and take a nice DT spoke and cut the head off and thread that end, too. This way you'll have a spoke threaded on both ends that should fit the nipples on your DA wheel. (Of course, this assumes that the nipples didn't break.)

One of these ideas should get you going. Good luck!
Jim
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Q: My friend has a cool old Japanese 3-speed bicycle missing the trigger shifter. Will an old Sturmey-Archer trigger shifter work, or is the cable pull different?

A: The answer to your question depends on what type of 3-speed hub you have on that Japanese bike. The easiest way to tell is to look at the way the shift cable connects. If it's connected to a little threaded rod with small chain links on it (what Sturmey called the indicator - see photo), you should have a Japanese clone of a Sturmey-Archer hub and I believe a Sturmey trigger will work. The cable will have the correct end at the handlebar, too (long, cylindrical) to fit in the Sturmey trigger and the trigger should pull the right amount of cable with each click.

But, if you see what's referred to as a "toggle" mechanism attached to the rear axle, a small knuckle-like metal apparatus that the cable attaches to, the handlebar end of the cable will not work in the Sturmey shifter, so you'll need to search for a Shimano-type shifter.

Hope this helps,
Jim
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Q: Hello Jim – I commute to work via bike several times a week. As you are aware on a road bike when it rains or on wet pavement the brakes will slow but not stop. Is it possible or advisable to use the longer mountain bike brake pads? I have Shimano 105 brakes, 9 speed drivetrain w/ triple, 700x25 tires, Mavic rims.

Regards,
David

A: Hi David,
I wouldn't recommending going to longer/larger pads, as they usually won't fit very well with the tighter clearance on road bikes. Instead, I would try some brake pads made for wet weather as they are designed to grip better when it's rainy. You might try Kool Stop pads and see if they don't work a lot better than what you have.

A lot of bike shops carry these pads, so you might be able to find them locally with a few phone calls. And, they'll slip right into your brake pad holders. You want the pads that fit your Shimano 105 brakes and the models made for wet weather.

Be sure to clean your rims regularly when you ride in the rain a lot, too, as the crud and grime from the wet roads can leave a residue on the rims that reduces friction. Simple rubbing alcohol works great. Just wet a rag with it and wipe the rims completely on both sides and that'll keep the rims nice and grippy.

To better rainy-day braking,
Jim
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