Not my bike, but I just finished up a stitch (from Disney) themed BMX for my daughter today.

Started out as a badly painted white & black Fit bike, modified with a few nice bits from the chain reaction sell off and many coats of paint! Now just to add a couple of carefully placed metallic stickers, and probably a brake...

Rad!

fatbikephil wrote: ↑Thu Dec 21, 2023 7:10 pm Rad!

Hopefully gets a positive response on Monday morning! And as a nice side effect, I picked myself up a BMX too after a few years without one...

PaulE wrote: ↑Thu Dec 21, 2023 7:39 pm

fatbikephil wrote: ↑Thu Dec 21, 2023 7:10 pm Rad!

Hopefully gets a positive response on Monday morning! And as a nice side effect, I picked myself up a BMX too after a few years without one...

Paul. That will definitely get an excellent response mate, well done and thanks for sharing. Just one Q... Couldn't you find any longer (looking) crank arms

Hope you both enjoy your bmx (and other) time together

redefined_cycles wrote: ↑Thu Dec 21, 2023 8:40 pm
Paul. That will definitely get an excellent response mate, well done and thanks for sharing. Just one Q... Couldn't you find any longer (looking) crank arms

Hope you both enjoy your bmx (and other) time together

Amazingly enough, they're 170mm ones!

Got a new favourite glue. https://www.bsi-inc.co.uk/ic-2000tm-rub ... 1-2oz.html

Don't know if you can see it, but that yellowy grey line at the bottom of the seat tube is in fact muddy water.

Basically the epoxy used to bond in the carbon tube hadn't quite worked and had cracked. It wasn't going anywhere, but water was getting in and that's never good. Considered superglue but ideally wanted something with a bit of flexibility.

It trickled in beautifully and seems to have set well. Happy with that.

(The 'crack' in the chainstay is where I removed a section in order to insert a length of steel rebar, having carved a bit away for increased tyre clearance. That seems to be holding up well too).

Last ride well over a month ago sadly. Brought the bike in last week to prepare it for riding but that had to stop prematurely. Today...


Checked the angle of the Exposure. Hope it won't stress drivers as the brackets a but tight on these oval(ish) bars so I wouldn't fancy trying to adjust it once out!


Only one ride old Revelate. It was a rather big ride in the ice, but still. Looks like I'll be having to patch that up before it gets worse. Wonder if I coukd glue some material over it.


Bracket for the saddlepack clamped into the seat rails. Then realaied the angle on this bike is different from that one. So some TuffTape and finger rubbing heat to hopefully weld it on.


Blooming thing just needs packing now, with lots of 'guts' to push me out the door...

Looking good Shaf. Go well.

Thanks Gecko That reminds me, I best add the off road (gravel freindly it seems) track at Bowland. Hopefully an easy bivy spot would be found..

.Wonder if I coukd glue some material over it.

the webbing strap? Just burn it to weld them together

What gravel track at Bowland, location please

Lazarus wrote: ↑Tue Jan 30, 2024 2:01 pm

.Wonder if I coukd glue some material over it.

the webbing strap? Just burn it to weld them together

What gravel track at Bowland, location please

I messaged you. Burn and weld together. Sounds scary. I'll see if I can find a link on how to. Yes, that red webbing strap as it's at least 30% worn away!

Fitted new flat pedals to the new Jones... just to give them a try after 30 years on SPD's.
Been riding the CDF & Rooster with XT half flat /half spd's so when I get the odd burn in the ball of the foot I can flip over to the flat side..
The new ones are just flats... and went with the Bontrager plastic ones as they might alleviate the heat sink effect of the spd's and were £37 not £80

After last nights bivy, some more changes needed...

Gears wouldn't shift fully. After seeing if something was stuck between the cable and the harness straps, I realised it was the bag being too wide. So levers couldn't swing properly - new 5L bag needed I suppoze.

Brakes were squealing. Almost no pads left. Swisstops to be ordered.

Rear light fell off. Must add some sort of friction foam to allow it to stick properly inside the rear saddlepack ladder loops.

Exposure light needs putting on a bracket in centre qnd the Wahoo will have to move onto the stem... I think!

Have you thought about a dual mount which holds wahoo and light on one bracket, with the light underneath inverted?

Have you thought about a dual mount which holds wahoo and light on one bracket, with the light underneath inverted?

Have too but then it'd be in the way of the front harness. Used to have dual mount on the MTB lights light and worked well. Only not with a front harness/bag. Problem with the harness/bag is that it scuffs the wheels if not careful, so I try to keep it as high as poss..

redefined_cycles wrote: ↑Wed Jan 31, 2024 7:42 pm

Have you thought about a dual mount which holds wahoo and light on one bracket, with the light underneath inverted?

Have too but then it'd be in the way of the front harness. Used to have dual mount on the MTB lights light and worked well. Only not with a front harness/bag. Problem with the harness/bag is that it scuffs the wheels if not careful, so I try to keep it as high as poss..

Ah yes, fair point considering your picture above of the harness..

faustus wrote: ↑Wed Jan 31, 2024 9:21 pm

redefined_cycles wrote: ↑Wed Jan 31, 2024 7:42 pm

Have you thought about a dual mount which holds wahoo and light on one bracket, with the light underneath inverted?

Have too but then it'd be in the way of the front harness. Used to have dual mount on the MTB lights light and worked well. Only not with a front harness/bag. Problem with the harness/bag is that it scuffs the wheels if not careful, so I try to keep it as high as poss..

Ah yes, fair point considering your picture above of the harness..

no probs. Easily missed as it's very (what's the word now!), inconspicuous!?

Gears wouldn't shift fully. After seeing if something was stuck between the cable and the harness straps, I realised it was the bag being too wide.

I had that exact problem and could not figure out what the problem was. Fortunately the left shifter is redundant and the bag just about fits with careful placement.

gecko76 wrote: ↑Wed Jan 31, 2024 9:42 pm

Gears wouldn't shift fully. After seeing if something was stuck between the cable and the harness straps, I realised it was the bag being too wide.

I had that exact problem and could not figure out what the problem was. Fortunately the left shifter is redundant and the bag just about fits with careful placement.

Thankfully I didn't start tuning things up. Only got as far as throwing some water on the front mech thinking it had frozen over (had just come past some lightly black ice in the previous 5 miles over the pass). The bag must have shuffled over to the left!! My fault, should've gone for a solid Salsa (cradle) in first place. You live/learn.

Sorted out the tyres on the Scandal. Took off the flat Rocket Ron and switched the Nobby Nic to the back and put Hans back on the front. Might cycle to work tomorrow...

Lots of stuff. Sold the Unit frameset, transferred most bits to the new Ti frame. As ever, always some additional faff, and in this case the cable routing meant none of the cables or hoses was long enough to the rear. Also, my cherished old M660 SLX chainset had very tight clearance for the chainring and not great chainline. So have tried a 2nd hand M7100 SLX to see how it goes. Also been building up an old Big Wig frame as my 'new' town bike, which is nearly done. So lots of shed time recently, and lots of comings and going. Some items for sale soon!

New bike now built. New chainset did improve chainline. XL Titus el Viajero, meant as my XC-biased ATB. Weighs 25.4lbs as is, which i'm happy with as it's mostly a swap for what was on the Unit and it's not a weight-weenie. Not had a proper test ride yet. But it'll be versatile and I can use the 120mm fork I have for bigger days out. Think there'll be a short dropper along the way too. Will also be getting a full frame bag soon, and the ugly mudguards need to go on now (and just noticed the stem is upside down!). Now to finish the town bike and clear out some stuff...

my teenage son is horrified, I have stuck a rack on the back of the bike

but as I said to him, this is bikepacking on the cheap

so a bike off Gumtree, £65, goes pretty well, I like the gearing but the old 3x is a tad old skool

then a half price Topeak Explorer rack from Halford's, bought last week and fitted today, with a cheapo Halford's rear mudguard bolted to the rack stays

and Decathlon el cheapo Btwin panniers that have been laying about in the garage for months...

I am very happy with the new set up just need to do a test overnighter sometime soon to see if it all works!

Set up the tubeless tyres on my new bargain Bombtrack which all went well until noticing ~20km into a shakedown ride that the tyres aren't in fact tubeless! They're holding ok-ish (the rear is losing a little pressure) so while the temptation is there to pretend I'm still unaware of my cockup, replacements have been ordered.

It does pee me off that bikes, I guess beyond a certain 'level', come with components that a fair proportion of their purchasers are gonna ditch right away.