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Yep, this works very well, as
Yep, this works very well, as long as the BB removal tool has spanner flats. Quite why some of them don’t I don’t know but I seem to have two of the beasties, which is why I ended up getting the one with the attached handle and locator pin.
If you’re needing to remove
If you’re needing to remove the BB after you’ve removed the cranks be prepared for plenty of swearing and skinned knuckles. You need another tool for the splines (the square castellations on the first image)
Strongly recommend getting one like this with a central locator pin, which will stop it going askew. This was the best option for me with a particularly recalcitrant factory-fit (and factory-torque) square taper BB. Tool plus my entire 18st stood on the handle after a night soaking in WD40 (the BB, not me) was what was required.
https://www.gym-fit.co.uk/Bottom-Bracket-Removal-Tool-Square-Taper-Type-Ha-p/gf.sbbb30.htm
The other option is to get a socket one which has spanner flats on it like this
And then clamping it to the crank spindle with a bolt and a couple of big washers like this
https://www.instructables.com/Seized-Bottom-Bracket-Removal/
And using an adjustable spanner (or ring spanner if you’ve got a big enough one) to apply enough torque to remove it.
It’s not a difficult job, just requires the right tool and brute force rather than any particular skill.
One final tip: drive side (chain side) is a reverse thread. Easy way to remember – push the tool handle towards the front of the bike.
Sorry, that’s bollocks.
Sorry, that’s bollocks. Slowing to let people out of side roads or pedestrians cross does not cause congestion. It keeps everyone moving. Same as letting drivers filter on slip roads. Or, for that matter, letting cyclists and motorcyclists filter through queuing traffic.
I ran a camera for a while
I ran a camera for a while and all it taught me was that I was within inches of death several times per ride (this was when I was commuting into Southampton). It was also the time when Hants Police weren’t interested in acting on camera footage.
As a car driver I routinely see awful driving pretty much every day and it’s just exhausting. Case in point – one lane closure on an oblique junction near home, clearly signposted and fully coned (they’re digging a trench for a gas main). Diversion adds two minutes the the journey. Driver decides to risk nipping past the lane closure on the wrong side of the road, having mounted the pavement to make the sharp turn, resulting in stalemate with an oncoming driver (who had nowhere to go because there was a car behind his) and much swearing and honking of horns. I’d imagine if it had been a cyclist oncoming, or a child on scooter on the pavement, he’d have just driven at them. Appropriately enough, a white Audi S3…
Yep – sold all my road bikes
Yep – sold all my road bikes as of Sunday specifically because of this. One road rage incident resulting in physical injury and I’m also aware that it’s had an impact on my mental enjoyment (if that makes sense?) of road cycling. The main point of cycling for me is enjoyment and as I’m not enjoying it (each ride is a source of stress, every approaching driver a trigger) I’ve given up. Can’t be doing with running cameras because I don’t think that’s particularly good for mental health either.
Full convert to MTB now, have a lovely steel hardtail frame on the way that’s versatile enough to do double duty as a gravel/adventure bike. Now I just need to watch out for squirrels instead of drivers.
Yeah, MTB is very precise.
Yeah, MTB is very precise. Those rear mechs are a masterpiece of compact engineering if you think about the range they typically have to handle. I’ve got Deore 5100 on mine – clutch, shadow, handles an 11-51T cassette with a frankly ridiculously bad chainline, gets covered in slop every ride, still works.
Yep, very effective. And you
Yep, very effective. And you don’t even have had to pay the whole amount by CC, just a deposit is enough. Even applies to used vehicles, which is why a lot of traders won’t take payments on credit cards.
Pop the bike in a work stand,
Pop the bike in a work stand, shift to the biggest cog, and back pedal the cranks slowly. Any kicking from the derailleur? Does it drop off the big cog?
Everything is serviceable on Shimano mechs but unfortunately they’re such precise devices it’s probably easier to buy a new one (assuming you can find stock) See https://si.shimano.com/pdfs/ev/EV-RD-M7100-4607.pdf
I can’t see how this would be a possible cause, or how it would have happened from a drop, but maybe just pop the cassette off and re-seat everything on the freehub. Also makes it easier to check if there are any bent teeth on the cassette. As you’re probably aware the cassette is split into three or four sections with spacers, maybe something is slightly out of alignment.
I’m assuming you’re running a thru-axle? Just ruling out anything to do with a damaged QR.
Have you read the Shimano
Have you read the Shimano manual? The alignment and indexing steps for 12sp are a bit different to what you might have learnt on 10 or 11sp.
https://si.shimano.com/pdfs/dm/DM-MARD001-02-ENG.pdf
I’d go back to scratch and do the following:
1. Undo the cable from the mech
2. Check that the mech moves freely from limit to limit, and that the jockey wheels line up with the extremes of the cassette.
3. Click the cable out of the shifter as far as it will go
4. Connect cable to mech and do the initial tension setting
5. Do the big cog limit alignment
6. Do the B-Screw (end screw) alignment – see pages 19 & 20 – this bit is the biggest change to the usual way of doing indexing/alignment
7. Switch the clutch off, move the chain to the middle of the cassette (5th smallest cog will do) and do the usual SIS indexing procedure with the barrel adjuster.
Wondering – and this is a long shot – but might you have bent the B-axle? The bit that connects the mech to the hanger? Or maybe it’s not torqued up right.
Seemingly small changes can
Seemingly small changes can make a big difference, and they’re not always logical.
For example, your neck pain might be caused by being too upright, which seems counter-intuitive.
I got a bike fit after I found lower back pain was limiting my comfortable riding to less than 45 minutes. Only change made? 10mm LONGER stem, which seems totally counter-intuitive! Did Ride London the following week, zero back issues.
There are so many variables when it comes to positioning and some people can cope with a range of fits better than others. For me, now I’m 50+, I find there’s a very narrow window of acceptable comfort and endurance.
I’ll keep an eye on the spare
I’ll keep an eye on the spare part prices. Currently up as a complete bike but you’re probably right – and it would be a bigger market because I’d be able to post it. Definitely not entrusting it to a courier…
One other thing to add to
One other thing to add to this thread. If dealing in cash, specify that the buyer pays with polymer £20 notes, much less risk of forgery and easier to count.
Compare with this one – white
Compare with this one – white driver, two separate incidents, 3 years.
Hockey’s Farm in the New
Hockey’s Farm in the New Forest
https://www.hockeys-farm.co.uk/cafe
Plenty of space for outdoor dining (as well as inside). Bird aviary in a shady nook which is great if you’re riding as a family (or find birdsong as restful as I do), plus chickens, geese, pigs, donkeys, and alpacas to admire.
Currently open for takeaway only, but there is indoor seating once that’s allowed. Parking for about a dozen bikes. Clean outside toilets if you just need a loo break and feel awkward about popping in to a cafe to just use the facilities.
Cafe mostly uses local produce and has extensive cake options. There’s also a farm shop on site which is a bit more focused towards higher end products. Only downside is no fig rolls or malt loaf. Not the cheapest place to eat overall but I think the atmosphere, cycle-friendly layout, and quality more than makes up for that.
Being the forest access is via a cattle grid so take care on entry (probably better to hop off and use the pedestrian gate).
It’s really well placed on a flat section linking Fordingbridge with Ringwood. Plenty of gravel nearby if that’s your thing, and the mighty 25% Blissford Hill is just up the road. Heading south and west from there will hook you up with the Red Shoot Strava segment (https://cycle-newforest.co.uk/cycle-routes/red-shoot/) on the way to Bolderwood which is always a lovely fast rolling ride under trees – about 5 miles of the very best cycling the New Forest has to offer. Alternatively, heading north there’s a scarp to the east with plenty of sharp steep climbs if you want to get some hill reps in. Squint hard enough and you could be in Flanders…
As I’m mostly running big
As I’m mostly running big tyres now (meaning a spare tube doesn’t fit a saddle pack and leave enough room for other stuff) I use a small pannier-style top-tube bag from Decathlon. Tube and tubeless repair kit in one side. Tyre levers, multitool, chain tool, spare link, tube patches, spoke key, gaffer tape, cable ties, tyre boot (doubles up as a handy emergency £20), Presta-Schrader adapter in the other. If I was buying again I’d probably get a frame bag that sits inside the triangle as to my eyes they look neater on a road bike and carry more stuff. I’d also get a bottle boss back as it would swallow the pump.
Pump-wise I have a Topeak Mountain Morph mounted on a bottle boss. Possibly overkill for a road bike but if I’m out on a group ride (when we could that) it proves to be very popular as it’ll easily get a skinny road tube up to 120psi. There’s a road version available but it’s usually more expensive than the MTB version. It almost makes getting a flat a pleasant experience with the fold out T handle and foot peg. Could just do with having a slightly longer hose.
