This Schwinn Bicycles came in, or rather was collected from Linlithgow Rail Station, in one helluva state. The back wheel had buckled and folded over on itself. Thankfully its owner was OK, although rather shaken. So, we fitted some burlier, V section hybrid wheels from The Cycle Division Ltd and mated those to a set of Schwalbe tires Land Cruisers to soak up some of the bumps on the customer’s commute. New brake pads and cables from Elvedes Bike Components and the bike’s once again fit for purpose #schwinnbikes #Elvedes #TCD

For when you have the best father-in-law in the world. This Scott bikes Sub 40 was gifted to its new owner by his father-in-law. Not content with simply handing it over as was, we agreed on a bit of a restoration project. New Schwalbe tires Marathons and tubes, some Elvedes Bike Components cables, KMC Chain Europe chain and Raleigh Bikes grips. It’s now setup as the ultimate commuter #scottbikes #kmcchain

Another Cannondale that had maybe seen better days was this Cujo. It had sat unused for some time, but when its owner decided it was time to start shredding again, it was booked in with Andy’s Bike Clinic. Starting off with the drivetrain, it received new SunRace wide ratio cassette, Shimano-MTB Deore chain and a Shimano-MTB Hollowtech bottom bracket. The tyres were well past their best, so some WTB Vigilantes were sourced (27.5×2.8″ of pure rubber!) and fitted. All ready to rip up the streets and trails #cannondale #WTB

This CUBE Bikes e-bike was a little worse for wear after its winter hibernation. The chain was in a heck of a mess and was preventing the pedals from turning. So, chain, cassette and derailleur were all thoroughly cleaned, degreased and lubricated to get things moving more smoothly. I also noticed that both sets of pads were low on material and the rotors were also due for renewal. Shimano-MTB pads and rotors went on, and the Bosch eBike Systems firmware was also updated #cubebikes #boschebike

Now are you sitting comfortably, then let me tell you a tale of woe. This brand new Cannondale Topstone hadn’t even turned a pedal in anger before it needed some attention. It was knocked over whilst in the house, and the gear hanger did what it was designed to do, and snapped (saving both the frame and rear derailleur). So, replacement ordered, fitted and gears adjusted. Whilst I had the bike, I noticed both brakes were rubbing and some of the stem and bar bolts hadn’t been correctly tightened. Torque wrench to the rescue and the bike was back ready for the weekend.

If you feel you need a little help on the hills, then a different cassette with a greater range of ratios may be your answer. This customer is in training for an event later in the year and went down this route for his Boardman Bikes. New Shimano-Road Sora medium cage rear derailleur allied with a replacement chain and new 11-34T cassette means he has more flexibility when things start heading upwards. Not the cheapest, but cheaper than buying a new bike. In some cases it’s possible to retain the existing rear derailleur assuming it has the capacity for the larger cassette.

Moving on we have this frankly lurvely ex-Grand Tour Ridley Bikes. This bike just looks fast even when it’s stood still. To make it go even faster, the owner asked for a set of carbon HUNT Bike Wheels to be fitted from his tri-bike. These feature ultra-low friction bearings to ensure they won’t slow him down. Full Di2 keeps gear changes clean and crisp.

Less of a TBT post, more a CUT (Catch Up Thursday). It’s been a busy few weeks, and I haven’t had the opportunity to post up what I’ve been up to. So, on we go. First up is this eovolt e-bike whose drive-side pedal destroyed its crank arm and thread. The owner cleverly applied a Heath Robinson fix, but clearly this was a short-term fix. I sourced a set of Bafang E-Bike Drive Systems crank arms and The Cycle Division Ltd provided the folding pedals. All tightened up correctly and back on the road.

This Ribble Cycles came in with a faulty front shifter, so we agreed to replace the gear cables (front and rear), but having measured the chain, also replace the chain and cassette with Shimano-Road goodies. Internal cable routing looks great, but can be a real pain when it comes to cable replacement. Ribble Cycles have done a good job on this, although getting the cables through at the bottom bracket was uber tight. Thankfully, the Park Tool IR 2.1 kit made this a damn sight easier.

If you’re unwilling, or unable to go tubeless, tyre inserts may be the way to go if you want to reduce the risk of punctures. One of the market leaders, Tannus – No.1 Puncture Protection produce top class tyre inserts in a variety of wheel sizes and widths. That’s the way we decided to go with this himiway.uk fat e-bike. Those tyres are 26×4.00″ monsters, so Tannus’ largest, fattest tyre inserts were used with a narrower set of Schwalbe tires tubes.