Be Excellent To Each Other

Only took one image of the bike because I was sweating my balls off and wanted to get a shower.

I cycled back from town (only a couple miles) with an extra set of tyres around my neck, came to the realisation why the fuck did I buy a single speed bike I live on a fucking hill.

Hey-ho.

Would be interested in your opinions if you can tell from the terrible pic. The drops seem too far slanted forward? My cyclocross they are definitely further back, I felt too slanted when trying to muddle along with my tyres etc.

https://imgur.com/9fDegmo

Yes, those bars are tilted too far forward/down for my liking.

Those are vintage style bars to go with your vintage style bicycle, the lower part of the drop is supposed to be parallel to the ground and the brakes are mounted on the front of the bar about a third of the way down.
Correct, maybe. Comfortable? No.

She is beautiful ! very retro, I love it !

Ugh that's annoying. I adjusted it slightly, not tried it out yet but will do some time.

I tell you another thing about it, can't really tell from the picture.

The pedals are weird as fuck; they obviously have the foot place on one side but it's raised out making it heavier so its difficult to get the your feet on the right side and keep them there.

No that is normal fella. It's a fixie, so most would strap them to their feet. Did it not come with straps? The last thing you would want using it fixed is your foot to slip a pedal when braking.

I don't like using any sort of strap. It frightens me.

Stupid bike. I should have stuck with gears.

Pedals are not that expensive. Well, unless you go silly.

I have multiple sets of pedals I can swap em out it's just effort!

hahaha. I gotta say though, this weather we've been having makes everything hard. Within about ten seconds you are sweating profusely. It really does make everything ten times harder..

Food for thought though.. You will never buy a bike that is complete and ready to go without there being something on it you hate. I've never got a box fresh bike and been happy with all of it.

Well by the time I'd gotten home (cycling uphill most of the way) I was coated in sweat and grumpy from lugging those tyres and my bag home. (I was wearing a work shirt so I wasn't even dressed for the task)

The straps are really cheap, if you are OK with them. Like £2.50 cheap. I tried toe clips on a racer once. Yeah, not for me that. It kinda reminded me of wearing tight clothing or having something on my ears.

I have a set with straps at home from my CX before I put spds on it.

I'm toying with the idea of straps or just standard pedals; I feel it'd work just as well with normal pedals but only time will tell.

Clipless!

yes...

OK I managed to find a good deal on this disc brake.



Aside from a new (longer) cable that should be enough with any luck.

They look alright, shouldn't be too much of a faff to fit em.

@KovacsC it's just a little bike to get me about a little, also got some off road tyres for my CX bike

Well a whole ton of them look like they don't fit. This is what I will be running.



And most of them don't come with the bit that says "20MM IS" on it, meaning I have to buy something else. It was £30 for the full kit, about half of what it was on Chain Reaction.

That's pretty good.

Yeah I like how it has the twist thing that adjusts the pads too. Looks quite easy to set up, providing my wheel has the correct spacing. That's the only unknown now. Whether I will need a spacer or not. Thankfully I have a made with a lathe and a mill so getting small parts made is possible so long as I design them

If I ever need any parts making I'm contacting you.

I had to custom fit a rear brake disc calliper to a bike I built for my daughter. I got a block of solid aluminium and used one of my routers to cut it to shape.

Got my chain ring and the disc mount thing today. Well chuffed with both. Probably going to have to drill out the disc adaptor though, but that's no biggy really. Brake should arrive tomorrow or Monday, then I will go back home and get to work finishing the crank arms. It seems I did really well for my £30 on the brake too.

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/avid ... -prod79346

Bloody hell thats a hell of a saving!

Best part is I bought the Avid levers on sale deliberately because they said they were for disc brakes.

I love it when a plan etc.

Disc brake came. Seems it also came with every bolt you you could need too, which was refreshing. Things to note? They're quite heavy and the pads are really cute. I'm used to seeing it on cars but never bikes!

Adjusting them by twisting the cap is a dream; super easy to sharpen the brakes when necessary.

Am I correct in thinking that the best way to set them up is to leave the bolts ever so loose, then go to the front of the bike, pull the lever (allowing the caliper to assume the correct position) whack a strap or band around the lever (to keep it pulled) then go round back and nip it up?

I saw it on Youtube, sounds legit...

I must admit I have found it incredibly hard to get any tech info about disc brakes. No one knows or mentions the BCD, and no one knows the correct spacing or tolerance etc. It just seems to be one of those things no one can be bothered about.

Sounds like the logical way to do it.

I've never fitted them myself but when adjusting the brakes, adjusting gears and such that seems like the way I'd do it myself.

The future!

https://imgur.com/gallery/dfZIh0q

Wow thats weird, I'd love to try it out.

The top comment on imur says it well though; it only transfers power one tooth at a time that can't be very efficient?

EDIT: So the actual article says its 99% efficient.

https://www.velonews.com/2018/07/bikes- ... ike_471747

Guess i'm chatting shite.

Giphy "shrug":
https://media0.giphy.com/media/EsmlrgWNx5v0Y/giphy-loop.mp4

There was a bmx made with a shaft drive in the early 80s

Edit. Found a pic.

Yeah but thats single speed; this other one looks multi-speed.

Disc fits but bolts are torx. Caliper thing fits but needs drilling. I think it's gonna work but have had to order some torx drivers.

You not got any lying about?

Thats annoying!

I searched and searched and.. I found a Torx head ! but I have nothing but a screwdriver that it fits lol. And because they are all smothered in thread lock I can't get them in very far before I risk injury. Talking of which. I knew I had cut my arm removing those cranks, but I was sitting out in the garden with Mrs JC Sr a couple of days ago and she says "What's all that brown stuff down your arm?" I looked and my arm was covered in bruises.

I decided to do the cranks last night. England game was proving too much for my nerves so I bailed to the kitchen and put it on the radio.





I fitted the non drive side with the BB last night too.



So I will get that fitted today and then thread lock the holding bolts (people tend to complain about ISIS bolts saying they work loose). I've also got to drill out the caliper holder thing too.

Oh yeah ! the carbon post I have was 27.2 so I will fit that at some stage today also.



Got them into the light. Can really see the carbon pattern

Yeah they look really good; weathers turned a little colder up here might be time for you to go for another cycle JC!

I prefer the cold. I rode until late November last year until it was so cold my extremities went numb lol.

Am going riding tonight at Southsea skate park. Hopefully I won't get any rushes of stupid and won't end up in an ambulance (it was always me ) Thankfully it seems I threw away my BMX helmet and I won't be rocking up at a BMX place wearing my tarty one so I will just remain nice and grounded. Will be a good workout though, stay tuned for me crying in pain tomorrow

I'll be disappointed if you're not now

haha I will try and remember to take my camera.

Turns out I had not thrown out my BMX helmet after all. *gulp*.

Ah well, he who dares wins. I already asked him if there were any stair case gaps (my old fave) and he says no, so I shouldn't be too tempted to do anything stupid.

Oh yeah, the fixie. Well, I could not find the drill bits at my mother's house. I bought a really nice bosch set about two months back because I was sick of fucking blunt drill bits. She says I took them home, but I know my house (it's like a map in my head I know where every last bit is). I told her no, you have gone all OCD (she's a bit crackers too is Mrs JC Sr) and tidied them away.

Who was right? me. They were in a fuckin carrier bag in the shed. However, that doesn't help when you have a 5mm hole you need to make around 11mm. I did have a 9.5 but it was blunt AF so all it did was make the part very very hot. I then tried my Dremel milling bits, but they just weren't touching it. It must be hardened steel or something.. Any way, I finally found a 9mm bit and with a 14mm bit (that's new) I managed to bore it, over two hours, to about 12mm giving it some play so it can move. So that's another job done now. Which actually reminds me that I have no Dremel attachments left that are worth a toss and must get more.

Well off we went to Southsea skate bowl. I have never ridden a bowl before. "Maybe we should start on the ramps" said my friend. Nah, fuck that let's do the bowls. Did this one a couple of times (think empty swimming pool)



Then we moved onto this one which is about twice as deep. You start at the top, get up on the walls as you come down, then you go around the large bowl sideways. Down I came, got up on the wall and forgot to steer into the bowl before hitting the hump. (the lip on the right)



Et voila.





So I sat for a while and let them dry up a bit before going over to the wooden ramps. I say "I am going to hit that jump box". I go up a vert ramp, drop in, come flying along and pulled as hard as I could and the fucking bars came back (loose). How I didn't die is a mystery lol.



But man I feel alive. Not sure I will feel so alive tomorrow, but alive right now

Oh JC.

At least you had a load of fun!

Weather looks alright there.

Yeah it was a killer night out and my mate has the nicest boy a parent could ask for. Plus he is really, really good. He transferred out of that bowl I crashed on into the shallower one. His first time doing that, so yeah it was a great night all round. Lesson learned though, concrete and skin don't mix hahaha.

I also got to meet Effraim Catlow who runs the place. Name might not mean anything, but he was a champion flatland rider during the 90s. I've always loved flatland. No good at it because it's terribly technical and incredibly skilful but amazing to watch. Hoping my torx drivers come today so I can crack on with the PK

Got the disc mounted yesterday.



What it really needed was the two gallons of thread lock whoever built them used cleaning out, as the new bolts had thread lock on also and thus I now have two cut knuckles. I hate Torx bolts. Awful sodding things. That was about all I could do yesterday. Somehow the day after just sitting around doing nothing hurts more than scrubbing the rash with an exfoliating sponge and spraying them with alcohol. Maybe it was because of the adrenaline? IDK. Any way feeling much better today as it has now mostly scabbed over. It certainly doesn't hurt hardly anywhere near as much that's for sure

Niiice looks good, but at the same time strange I don't think I've ever seen a BMX with discs.

Looking forwards to the finished job.

How is your leg fairing?

When I did it it stung a bit. I rode on, broke the bike then decided it was safer not to ride any more. Next day, agony. I don't know why, as there was no force or impact (just literally a slide) but yeah it hurt. Day after pain was completely gone, so due to the heat and me being a complete idiot I decided to take a bath. Yeah, let me absolutely say right now - don't ever fucking do that ! it went all mushy and soggy, weeped, looked very angry (so I think I had some local infection) and then hurt like a bitch for another day. Lesson learned, keep it dry. So before I took a nice bath today I wrapped it all in clingfilm (a trick I learned when I did my elbow all those years back).

Other than that? just bored out of my brains tbh. I don't do "heal time" very well.

I did just fit the disc brake onto the PK, but alas the 2 odd mm we discussed earlier in the thread came back to bite me on the ass. If you bolt it all up it catches the caliper pretty bad. It's literally 2mm out, so I had a few options. First I could get a disc spacer, but that would mean taking it back off (fuck those apples). I could bodge it but bodging's bad, mmkay? so I figured out that if I buy a 2mm thick sheet of alu (150x150) and make a piece to go between the caliper holder and frame (it will be held to the plate with epoxy then obs all pulled tight when I do up the bolts?) then that ought to do it. Was the cheapest option too, at £1.50.

Only annoying thing? my Dremel bucket is empty. I have no sanding drums, no mandrels etc. I have been putting it off for an age, so I had to drop £15 on that crap. Mind you, it does last a very long time to be fair.

So yeah, few days and I will make a spacer. TBH by the time that's done I won't feel like my skin is being stitched to the floor, so hurts like buggery every time I move, and should be ready to get back on the iron horsey.

Then I gotta remember to not be a cock next time and buy some shin/calf pads and elbow pads.

It wasn't just my leg, btw. It was my arm and my leg lmfao. Here is how it looks now. Well, before I took a bath and nearly died.





Quick bikey pic.

Nearly there on that then.

When I came off my bike (doing 60 k/ph down the road) I got to work and a first aider put the worst bandage ever on it, it basically stuck into the wound and then i had to peel out all the bandage to reopen the wound to let it heal properly, completely healed over though perfectly fine (I was cycling throughout though)

No wonder the first aider had problems putting on the bandage, you should have stopped cycling.

I had begun typing a response to explain then I reread what you said sometimes I'm surprised how daft I am.