[RBW] Daring to wrench on my Riv's?
Good-to-have when working on bikes: The ability to laugh at yourself. Having another bike to ride while you work on this one. I keep a couple rules in my head: - The spoke nipple is the cap, the spoke is the jar. - Cranks, pedals, bottom bracket cups always loosen towards the back of the bike. It is always okay to take the half-fixed (or now more broken) bike to the shop and say, I got in over my head. Philip www.biketinker.com -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups RBW Owners Bunch group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
Re: [RBW] Daring to wrench on my Riv's?
Early Riv readers had some space for tales of bike maintenance screw-ups. Those were fun to read. One story had a crank arm getting its threads stripped, but it HAD to be removed from the frame so the mechanic eventually had to hacksaw through the spindle of a nice BB to get the cranks off. Some parts were lost, but the bike lived, and we got to laugh. Sent from my iPhone On Dec 7, 2014, at 10:02 AM, Philip Williamson philip.william...@gmail.com wrote: Good-to-have when working on bikes: The ability to laugh at yourself. Having another bike to ride while you work on this one. I keep a couple rules in my head: - The spoke nipple is the cap, the spoke is the jar. - Cranks, pedals, bottom bracket cups always loosen towards the back of the bike. It is always okay to take the half-fixed (or now more broken) bike to the shop and say, I got in over my head. Philip www.biketinker.com -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups RBW Owners Bunch group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups RBW Owners Bunch group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
Re: [RBW] Daring to wrench on my Riv's?
I got a red Spokey spoke wrench recently. Best spoke wrench ever. Much more precise than even the nice green Park. Sharp, good contact and grip even on rounded nipples. Philip www.biketinker.com -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups RBW Owners Bunch group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
Re: [RBW] Daring to wrench on my Riv's?
The Felco looks to be about $20 more than the Park. Have a Park in my tool kit which works for my use. The first Park wire cutter I had lasted over 20 years. Died when I put too many dents in the cutting edge. Eric Platt St. Paul, MN On Fri, Dec 5, 2014 at 10:59 PM, Jim Bronson jim.bron...@gmail.com wrote: On Thu, Dec 4, 2014 at 11:25 PM, lungimsam john11.2...@gmail.com wrote: Any ideas? How'd you learn? Trial and error. Rivendell YouTube videos. Best tool in the garage: my stand. I'm not sure how I lived without one for so long. Makes everything so much easier. -- Keep the metal side up and the rubber side down! -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups RBW Owners Bunch group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups RBW Owners Bunch group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
Re: [RBW] Daring to wrench on my Riv's?
Good tools (and good looking tools) like bikes in general, just make you want to use them more -- or at least make you happier when you do use (and ride) them. Shop around and pick them up here and there even when you're not currently wrenching out of necessity. I just saw a set of these and all I keep thinking of is Santa please please please http://www.amazon.com/PB-Swiss-212LH-10-Ballend-rainbow/dp/B00312LYWM/ref=pd_bxgy_hi_img_z On Saturday, December 6, 2014 8:18:18 AM UTC-5, EricP wrote: The Felco looks to be about $20 more than the Park. Have a Park in my tool kit which works for my use. The first Park wire cutter I had lasted over 20 years. Died when I put too many dents in the cutting edge. Eric Platt St. Paul, MN On Fri, Dec 5, 2014 at 10:59 PM, Jim Bronson jim.b...@gmail.com javascript: wrote: On Thu, Dec 4, 2014 at 11:25 PM, lungimsam john1...@gmail.com javascript: wrote: Any ideas? How'd you learn? Trial and error. Rivendell YouTube videos. Best tool in the garage: my stand. I'm not sure how I lived without one for so long. Makes everything so much easier. -- Keep the metal side up and the rubber side down! -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups RBW Owners Bunch group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bun...@googlegroups.com javascript:. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owne...@googlegroups.com javascript:. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups RBW Owners Bunch group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
Re: [RBW] Daring to wrench on my Riv's?
Just start doing it! Almost everything on a bicycle is about tension, one way or another. For the guys that haven't tackled truing, I encourage you do do so, spend 18 bucks and get a red, black and green wrench right out of the gate so you can do other bikes without question. Once you figure out truing, you'll realize that it's easier to true a wheel than it is to get your handlebars straight! I like using quality tools, park, campy, or other non bike specific hand tools. One the iBob list, there was a long discussion about work stands. I love my WrenchForce (old Trek brand) stand and think it's a better design than the park stuff. It looks like Feedback sports picked up where Trek left off: http://feedbacksports.com/shop/default.aspx Very good design IMO. I agree that youtube would be a good place to check on how to perform different tasks on your bike. One thing that I've described many times over the years and I've seen a lot of people have A Ha moments is adjusting the derailleurs. The screws are simply limit screws for how high or low the derailleur will travel. If your derailleur goes in to the highest and lowest gear you're good and these screws rarely ever need adjustment if you aren't changing parts on your bike or making adjustments to you bottom bracket spindle adjustment, like you can with a Phil BB. Anyhow, a quick tutorial on derailleurs. Drop it all the way down in the back to the smallest gear, shift up one (I'm making the assumption it's indexed shifting but the concept is the same with friction) and see how it shift. Does it shift quickly, does it not go at all? Then shift back down and see how it shifts in comparison to going up. If it fell down in to the smaller gear easier than it climbed up one gear, there isn't enough tension on the rear derailleur cable. So, give a quarter turn on the rear derailleurs barrel adjusted OUT to increase the tension. Then go through the process again. I like to do this mostly in the middle of the cassette and then check across them all and you're good to go! On Thursday, December 4, 2014 11:35:01 PM UTC-6, Peter M wrote: youtube is your friend at first, its easier to see visually what people are doing than to read about it. Then just go for it, if you break something expensive, you wont break it again most likely! I learned mostly on my own, internet, youtube, a lot of trial and error. On Fri, Dec 5, 2014 at 12:25 AM, lungimsam john1...@gmail.com javascript: wrote: I can do some stuff on my bikes. Setting up cockpits and saddle/seatpost, brake lever/caliper/housing/cable installation and adjustment, pedals, shifter lever installation and adjustment, fender/rack installations, cassette/chain swapping, etc. The more basic stuff. But I haven't dared to do anything with bb's, cranksets, wheel building/truing, headset adjustment, derailer installation. Just don't wanna mess anything up. But I want to learn to do this stuff so I don't have to depend on the LBS for things. What's a good way to go about doing these more difficult things without damaging anything? Books and websites are helpful, but I still don't have the confidence to mess with the aforementioned stuff. Buy a beater and wrench away on it? But a lot of old road bike beaters don't match the type of components and frame of the RBW bikes and wheels, so I don't know how helpful that would be to break down and rebuild a Peugeot (for instance) to help me learn how to do maintenance on my Rivbikes. Any ideas? How'd you learn? -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups RBW Owners Bunch group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bun...@googlegroups.com javascript:. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owne...@googlegroups.com javascript:. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups RBW Owners Bunch group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
Re: [RBW] Daring to wrench on my Riv's?
And if you don't have the proper Park spoke wrench, vise grips (even big ones!) work very well if you are careful to tension the jaw just right so that you don't (A) round off the nipple or (B) crush it. Patrick Moore, who has used VG's to true and re-dish wheels, but who is, nevertheless, not entirely serious, as usual, in ABQ, NM. On Sat, Dec 6, 2014 at 4:59 PM, Geoffrey ring...@gmail.com wrote: Just start doing it! Almost everything on a bicycle is about tension, one way or another. For the guys that haven't tackled truing, I encourage you do do so, spend 18 bucks and get a red, black and green wrench right out of the gate so you can do other bikes without question. Once you figure out truing, you'll realize that it's easier to true a wheel than it is to get your handlebars straight! -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups RBW Owners Bunch group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
Re: [RBW] Daring to wrench on my Riv's?
While the Park cable cutter is ok, the Felco I used while working at a bike shop this summer is leagues better. My guess is that costs leagues more too, but I haven't looked up the price. Jay Hartman. On Friday, December 5, 2014, Joe Bernard joerem...@gmail.com wrote: Seconded for the Park 3-way wrench, and good cable cutters (Park, too, in my case). On Friday, December 5, 2014 4:41:41 PM UTC-8, Andrew Marchant-Shapiro wrote: Lots of good advice here. Sometimes cheap can be fine. I'd wager that the only difference between the Park digital caliper and the one I got at Harbor Freight for $15 is the color of the electronics housing. But you'll never pry my 3-way Park wrench out of my hands until I'm rubber side up for good. BTW, the single best tool I own is my Shimano cable cutter. That makes life SO much more pleasant! -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups RBW Owners Bunch group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com javascript:_e(%7B%7D,'cvml','rbw-owners-bunch%2bunsubscr...@googlegroups.com'); . To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com javascript:_e(%7B%7D,'cvml','rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com');. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups RBW Owners Bunch group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
Re: [RBW] Daring to wrench on my Riv's?
I'll look into it, my Park cutters are about ready for a Vintage Tools display at this point. I have a tendency to buy expensive tools *once *;) On Friday, December 5, 2014 4:59:04 PM UTC-8, jay hartman wrote: While the Park cable cutter is ok, the Felco I used while working at a bike shop this summer is leagues better. My guess is that costs leagues more too, but I haven't looked up the price. Jay Hartman. On Friday, December 5, 2014, Joe Bernard joer...@gmail.com javascript: wrote: Seconded for the Park 3-way wrench, and good cable cutters (Park, too, in my case). On Friday, December 5, 2014 4:41:41 PM UTC-8, Andrew Marchant-Shapiro wrote: Lots of good advice here. Sometimes cheap can be fine. I'd wager that the only difference between the Park digital caliper and the one I got at Harbor Freight for $15 is the color of the electronics housing. But you'll never pry my 3-way Park wrench out of my hands until I'm rubber side up for good. BTW, the single best tool I own is my Shimano cable cutter. That makes life SO much more pleasant! -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups RBW Owners Bunch group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups RBW Owners Bunch group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
Re: [RBW] Daring to wrench on my Riv's?
On Thu, Dec 4, 2014 at 11:25 PM, lungimsam john11.2...@gmail.com wrote: Any ideas? How'd you learn? Trial and error. Rivendell YouTube videos. Best tool in the garage: my stand. I'm not sure how I lived without one for so long. Makes everything so much easier. -- Keep the metal side up and the rubber side down! -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups RBW Owners Bunch group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
[RBW] Daring to wrench on my Riv's?
I can do some stuff on my bikes. Setting up cockpits and saddle/seatpost, brake lever/caliper/housing/cable installation and adjustment, pedals, shifter lever installation and adjustment, fender/rack installations, cassette/chain swapping, etc. The more basic stuff. But I haven't dared to do anything with bb's, cranksets, wheel building/truing, headset adjustment, derailer installation. Just don't wanna mess anything up. But I want to learn to do this stuff so I don't have to depend on the LBS for things. What's a good way to go about doing these more difficult things without damaging anything? Books and websites are helpful, but I still don't have the confidence to mess with the aforementioned stuff. Buy a beater and wrench away on it? But a lot of old road bike beaters don't match the type of components and frame of the RBW bikes and wheels, so I don't know how helpful that would be to break down and rebuild a Peugeot (for instance) to help me learn how to do maintenance on my Rivbikes. Any ideas? How'd you learn? -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups RBW Owners Bunch group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
Re: [RBW] Daring to wrench on my Riv's?
youtube is your friend at first, its easier to see visually what people are doing than to read about it. Then just go for it, if you break something expensive, you wont break it again most likely! I learned mostly on my own, internet, youtube, a lot of trial and error. On Fri, Dec 5, 2014 at 12:25 AM, lungimsam john11.2...@gmail.com wrote: I can do some stuff on my bikes. Setting up cockpits and saddle/seatpost, brake lever/caliper/housing/cable installation and adjustment, pedals, shifter lever installation and adjustment, fender/rack installations, cassette/chain swapping, etc. The more basic stuff. But I haven't dared to do anything with bb's, cranksets, wheel building/truing, headset adjustment, derailer installation. Just don't wanna mess anything up. But I want to learn to do this stuff so I don't have to depend on the LBS for things. What's a good way to go about doing these more difficult things without damaging anything? Books and websites are helpful, but I still don't have the confidence to mess with the aforementioned stuff. Buy a beater and wrench away on it? But a lot of old road bike beaters don't match the type of components and frame of the RBW bikes and wheels, so I don't know how helpful that would be to break down and rebuild a Peugeot (for instance) to help me learn how to do maintenance on my Rivbikes. Any ideas? How'd you learn? -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups RBW Owners Bunch group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups RBW Owners Bunch group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
Re: [RBW] Daring to wrench on my Riv's?
Jump in and just do it. I know what I know by making all the mistakes. My first bike build, age 15, 1970, included at the very least 3 distinct and incompatible basic component designs and I ended up with a bike that no rim brake (caliper, stirrup) would fit and a 90 gear. And I accomplished this build and the next (age 16) much more sophisticated (and more weird) one using, not only the most basic of tools, but tools that weren't tools: nail and hammer and large nut to break and assemble chains; one-prong paper punch for pliers; pipe wrench for wheel nuts; and so forth. Much more recently, circa 2012, I made -- in the sense of coerced -- a Worksman tricycle frame to accept a Stronglight 99 (I think; 86 bcd) single with the stock bb assembly (using an Ashtabula to square taper BMX conversion) by hammering in a very delicately gauged dent in the right stay. Worked just right and even looked elegant. This by way of installing a chi chi Grafton triple, of which I was very proud, on a mtb using the then standard XT type 122.5 mm spindle, and earning the contempt of a local bike mechanic for the weirdly offset chainline. On Thu, Dec 4, 2014 at 10:25 PM, lungimsam john11.2...@gmail.com wrote: What's a good way to go about doing these more difficult things without damaging anything? Books and websites are helpful, but I still don't have the confidence to mess with the aforementioned stuff. ... Any ideas? How'd you learn? -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups RBW Owners Bunch group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
Re: [RBW] Daring to wrench on my Riv's?
On Dec 4, 2014, at 11:25 PM, lungimsam john11.2...@gmail.com wrote: I can do some stuff on my bikes. Setting up cockpits and saddle/seatpost, brake lever/caliper/housing/cable installation and adjustment, pedals, shifter lever installation and adjustment, fender/rack installations, cassette/chain swapping, etc. The more basic stuff. But I haven't dared to do anything with bb's, cranksets, wheel building/truing, headset adjustment, derailer installation. Just don't wanna mess anything up. But I want to learn to do this stuff so I don't have to depend on the LBS for things. Dare. It’s a bike and thankfully the technology is not mysterious- you can usually figure it out just by looking at it. The mot complicated thing on your list is wheel building. Leave that be until you have some of the other things under your belt. What's a good way to go about doing these more difficult things without damaging anything? Books and websites are helpful, but I still don't have the confidence to mess with the aforementioned stuff. Buy a beater and wrench away on it? But a lot of old road bike beaters don't match the type of components and frame of the RBW bikes and wheels, so I don't know how helpful that would be to break down and rebuild a Peugeot (for instance) to help me learn how to do maintenance on my Rivbikes. Any ideas? How'd you learn? I learned from garbage picking old bikes, tearing them apart, putting them back together (often in mix ’n’ match style). And then I learned from Glenn’s Complete Bicycle Manual. And then I got a job in a bike shop. If you live in a metropolitan area, there may very well be some classes you can take on bike maintenance. Our own Jim Thill has sponsored some of those classes at his shop- this is a great way to learn this stuff because someone who knows it is right there. Kind of a funny thing. I used to overhaul my bikes every winter- true the wheels, repack the various bearings, put on a new chain, clean everything up nice and spiffy, regrease every thread, etc.- a pretty much complete teardown. Now most of my bikes have sealed bearings in the hubs, BBs and headsets. I rebuild the headset in my Riv (a Stronglight that came with the frame in 1996) about every 5 years and even then, when I have it apart, it doesn’t need it. Some bike stuff is just way better than it used to be, like bearings. The Riv has Phil hubs, still rolling silky smooth on the original bearings. It’s got a Campy Veloce sealed BB, still smooth after a decade of service. I spend about two hours a year on bike maintenance for three bikes and most of that is wiping off crud. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups RBW Owners Bunch group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
