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Apr. 7th, 2012
Bicycle maintenance
Apr. 7th, 2012 09:25 pmNew semi-metallic pads on the front brakes. Braking power is much reduced at first, I take it out and get up to 15 MPH and apply the brakes heavily to heat them up. After 6 or 7 repeats, the braking power is coming back. Must be some oil or something on the surfaces.
While tightening things up to get rid of rattles, I found one of the front fender attachment screws was completely seized. I soaked it in Blaster all day, hit it with a hammer, and used heat. I still wound up breaking it off, so in the end I had to drill it out and retap the hole. Had some spare hex cap M5 screws in the box so that came out OK. I think some day I'm going to run out of fixes I can do on this poor old bike's frame, but it seems to just keep going. I've been eyeing the frame for cracks; I sometimes can't believe that given the abuse it takes, the gravel roads and potholes it hits, the weight it's carrying and the cold temperatures that it gets used in sometimes that the thing still hasn't cracked. Maybe the fact that it's really a cheap bike is working in its favor; the aluminum is probably thicker walled than a more expensive bike would be.
I ordered a Cygolite Hotshot USB rechargable LiIon taillight - at $27 at Amazon they're a super deal. It has a single 3W LED which puts it right up in the upper range of taillights; without going to a Dinotte 400 you really can't get anything much brighter.
I have a tiny lead-acid cell (weighs about 550 grams, fist sized) that I hope to run a car horn on. I bought a horn button once but I have no idea where it got to. I guess I'll buy another next time I get to a store.
I've got a bit of a worn spot on the bottom of my waterproof pannier. I think it's still waterproof. I'm going to try gluing a piece of inner tube to that spot before it rubs the rest of the way through.
Odometer: Approx 26780
While tightening things up to get rid of rattles, I found one of the front fender attachment screws was completely seized. I soaked it in Blaster all day, hit it with a hammer, and used heat. I still wound up breaking it off, so in the end I had to drill it out and retap the hole. Had some spare hex cap M5 screws in the box so that came out OK. I think some day I'm going to run out of fixes I can do on this poor old bike's frame, but it seems to just keep going. I've been eyeing the frame for cracks; I sometimes can't believe that given the abuse it takes, the gravel roads and potholes it hits, the weight it's carrying and the cold temperatures that it gets used in sometimes that the thing still hasn't cracked. Maybe the fact that it's really a cheap bike is working in its favor; the aluminum is probably thicker walled than a more expensive bike would be.
I ordered a Cygolite Hotshot USB rechargable LiIon taillight - at $27 at Amazon they're a super deal. It has a single 3W LED which puts it right up in the upper range of taillights; without going to a Dinotte 400 you really can't get anything much brighter.
I have a tiny lead-acid cell (weighs about 550 grams, fist sized) that I hope to run a car horn on. I bought a horn button once but I have no idea where it got to. I guess I'll buy another next time I get to a store.
I've got a bit of a worn spot on the bottom of my waterproof pannier. I think it's still waterproof. I'm going to try gluing a piece of inner tube to that spot before it rubs the rest of the way through.
Odometer: Approx 26780