Just swapped the alloy Giant inner-ends (pat pending) for some carbon versions. Knocked off 50g per the pair and hopefully add a little more winter protection...

New (to me) aero carbon bars for the roadie. Hoping they might give me a few seconds (over an hour ) but mainly for the hand pressure relieving flat tops. Aero bars are wonderful IME at long rides and pressure relief

Rode down to Liverpool docks this morning to avoid some DIY and to see the new aircraft carrier The Prince of Wales
It's not as big at they said it was.

But on the way home I found this for Reg

New pads front and inspect the drivechain parts after some mucky rides

Put a new chain on to replace worn but also need to get a new chainring sorted.

Cleaned the mtb up after a few muddy rides and took the opportunity to investigate a horrible noise that started coming from the vicinity of the rear wheel during the last ride. Wheel seemed fine so I checked the rear brake pads and it almost looked like one was missing! One quick video later I was brave and changed the brake pads.

Well that’s what that scraping noise was all about

It's been two years since I took it in for a service and I probably should have checked them before...

One side seems to be still rubbing so need to read up a bit more on why that could be.

PaulB2 wrote: ↑Sat Mar 07, 2020 5:44 pm One side seems to be still rubbing so need to read up a bit more on why that could be.

Look like Shimano pads. Did you fully press both pistons back into the caliper? If so it's possible that the caliper has shifted slightly and is no longer centred or that one piston isn't retracting quite as far as it should. Final option is that the rotor is warped.

whitestone wrote: ↑Sat Mar 07, 2020 5:52 pm

PaulB2 wrote: ↑Sat Mar 07, 2020 5:44 pm One side seems to be still rubbing so need to read up a bit more on why that could be.

Look like Shimano pads. Did you fully press both pistons back into the caliper? If so it's possible that the caliper has shifted slightly and is no longer centred or that one piston isn't retracting quite as far as it should. Final option is that the rotor is warped.

I used a tyre lever to push them back before putting the new pads in but didn’t check again afterwards so I’ll try that, ta

PaulB2 wrote: ↑Sat Mar 07, 2020 5:55 pm

whitestone wrote: ↑Sat Mar 07, 2020 5:52 pm

PaulB2 wrote: ↑Sat Mar 07, 2020 5:44 pm One side seems to be still rubbing so need to read up a bit more on why that could be.

Look like Shimano pads. Did you fully press both pistons back into the caliper? If so it's possible that the caliper has shifted slightly and is no longer centred or that one piston isn't retracting quite as far as it should. Final option is that the rotor is warped.

I used a tyre lever to push them back before putting the new pads in but didn’t check again afterwards so I’ll try that, ta

There's some Hope videos about servicing brakes - obviously you can use the principles on other makes - use a small brush with a little oil (of the correct type for your brakes) or silicone lubricant to lube the seals on the pistons.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v83YFGi5uT0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9renV3fxts

Collected it from the bike shop





After being battered on the gravel bike decided it was time to buy a new mountain bike
Fortuitous really given I killed the gravel bike in New Zealand.

Some long overdue love for the commuter; new cranks and BB, WI Freewheel strip down and regrease, new brake shoes, repair damaged wire on the dynamo.

Reassembled the fat bike after Rovaniemi.

Singlespeed next (new brakes to fit), then build up the other fat bike. Because one fat bike isn’t enough

PaulB2 wrote: ↑Sat Mar 07, 2020 5:44 pm Cleaned the mtb up after a few muddy rides and took the opportunity to investigate a horrible noise that started coming from the vicinity of the rear wheel during the last ride. Wheel seemed fine so I checked the rear brake pads and it almost looked like one was missing! One quick video later I was brave and changed the brake pads.

Well that’s what that scraping noise was all about

It's been two years since I took it in for a service and I probably should have checked them before...

One side seems to be still rubbing so need to read up a bit more on why that could be.

Potentially during your time with a totally worn pad the piston has come out pretty far and isn't sliding as well. So when you're pressing the lever to have it pop out and push the pad, during the release it might not be retracting as fully as it should!!

If it was me I'd start with a brake bleed and also working the pistons in and out a few times (maybe even adding an appropriate oil/lube to make the sliding action of the pistons slightly easier.

Just my thoughts (there are others ) but with some light fettling am confident you should get em sorted. Unless they're Hopes...

Cleaned the commuter to help the wheel rims not get ground away by road grime, cleaned the Epic after last Sunday’s ride, and picked up a 1967 Falcon road bike. Reynolds 531, tubs and a spare front wheel, looking forward to a good clean, new cables and brake pads, and to see if the tubs “work”.

JohnClimber wrote: ↑Sun Mar 01, 2020 10:05 pm Rode down to Liverpool docks this morning to avoid some DIY and to see the new aircraft carrier The Prince of Wales
It's not as big at they said it was.

When the QE was docked in Invergordon I was driving past it regularly. I see cruise ships there often too and the QE was tiny compared to some of them. As a projection of Britain's "military might" it was quite underwhelming. I recall thinking that it would have been far cheaper and more impressive to have just welded together some of the stored oil platforms and painted them grey.

ScotRoutes wrote: ↑Sun Mar 08, 2020 8:45 am

JohnClimber wrote: ↑Sun Mar 01, 2020 10:05 pm Rode down to Liverpool docks this morning to avoid some DIY and to see the new aircraft carrier The Prince of Wales
It's not as big at they said it was.

When the QE was docked in Invergordon I was driving past it regularly. I see cruise ships there often too and the QE was tiny compared to some of them. As a projection of Britain's "military might" it was quite underwhelming. I recall thinking that it would have been far cheaper and more impressive to have just welded together some of the stored oil platforms and painted them grey.

The biggest cruise ships make the US carriers look small let alone a ship half the size so that’s not surprising

slarge wrote: ↑Sat Mar 07, 2020 9:28 pm Cleaned the commuter to help the wheel rims not get ground away by road grime, cleaned the Epic after last Sunday’s ride, and picked up a 1967 Falcon road bike. Reynolds 531, tubs and a spare front wheel, looking forward to a good clean, new cables and brake pads, and to see if the tubs “work”.

Steven, I just came across my pic of my beautiful 631 tubed Condor. I can't imagine it being much newer than the 1970s but I could be wrong. It came with a steel fork on 1 inch headtube. I upgraded this to a carbon Columbus fork (including carbon steerer) and what an amazing difference to handling and feel it made.

Used a Thomson adaptor set to get a standard (oversized) stem onto the 1 inch steerer too which meant I could in turn bring the bars up to date (helped me drop the steel handlebars and uograde to something nicer/newer)...

What a bike... if you wants to try the same then feel free to drop a line and I can forward you the steerer adaptors (yo convert from 1 to 1 and 1/8


Thata actually some tubs in the pic (they were fast but harsh) but generally it was running standard clinchers

Washed my two most riden ones, they were a bit of a disgrace. Think I'll pop back in the garage shortly and fit rigid forks to the broken road, see how i like it. Might get round to refitting the mudgaurds to the gravelwanker too, took them off for cleaning and thread copper slipping, tracking down rattles.

Cheers Shaf, I haven’t work out what my plan for this bike is yet. I rode it up the road and decided the 36cm bars are too narrow, and it needs new cables and chain.

I’d like to give it a quality repaint,, then work out what next

slarge wrote: ↑Sun Mar 08, 2020 7:57 pm Cheers Shaf, I haven’t work out what my plan for this bike is yet. I rode it up the road and decided the 36cm bars are too narrow, and it needs new cables and chain.

I’d like to give it a quality repaint,, then work out what next

No probs... the Thomson adaptors are there if ever you wanted/needed em gratis. Btw... congrats. Thwse old school bikes just bring a smile to the face (did 2 years worth of that Rapha500 on my Condor I think) and Reynolds is just so lovely to ride..

Washed the Salsa as it looked like it had been carved from a lump of mud as the whole thing was covered in it from the last few weeks riding in non-stop rain.

Now it's clean I've spotted the rear rim is cracked at the spoke holes At least it's clean to look at in the shed. So now I've got to decide what to do about that. Obviously they're Stans Arch Mk3.

sean_iow wrote: ↑Sun Mar 08, 2020 8:17 pm Washed the Salsa as it looked like it had been carved from a lump of mud as the whole thing was covered in it from the last few weeks riding in non-stop rain.

Now it's clean I've spotted the rear rim is cracked at the spoke holes At least it's clean to look at in the shed. So now I've got to decide what to do about that. Obviously they're Stans Arch Mk3.

Sean... All this weight saving malarkey comes at a cost. My rear edco cracked at the flange (hub) and it was/is one of the lightest road hubs available... I also cracked a Dura Ace tubelessed rim when landed perfectly in a road ditch last or year before. Managed to keep riding but only afyer figuring out how to pull out the tubeless valve as it'd become lodged inside the rim channel... Another (or maybe the same set of rims) had the spoke snap near the nipple after jumping off a kerb (whilst down in South West riding from Minehead to Salisbury)...

Lightweight rubbish: gotta love it

Just checked and the wheel has done 8100 miles. Also looked on the No Tubes website and the rims have a 2 year warranty, they were built in June 2018 so I'll start with seeing if I can get a warranty replacement.

I've gone with a half gravel setup for a 4 day trip planned for next week. New chain, massive cassette and some 35mm touring tyres for some extra comfort.

Fixed a puncture

Apart from a spin around the block on the Mon to Fri commuter bike with the new Lidl saddle bag fitted I didn't do anything on the bike this weekend.
TBH it was quite nice for a change

Most I've managed today is to look at one of my bikes.....with intent!

That's what passes for action these days.

Gonna hit the turbo-trainer in a bit.

Maaan I hate having to resort to the misery of the turbo-trainer