Author Archives: Andy Todd

Giant Defy

A little taster of what’s being going on at Andy’s Bike Clinic this week. First up, a Giant Defy which had lost its drive. Not only had the chain worn, but the rear gear cable had broken in the shifter. Vexing isn’t the word. After a bit of investigation and dismantling, the cable was retrieved and binned, being replaced with a lovely Fibrax Limited item. Fibrax Limited also provided some stopping power at the rear with some of their super-sticky pads. The chain was swapped out for a KMC Chain USA 10 speed beauty and it was all topped off by an Interim Service. Full working order once more

Keep your jockey wheels clear

This is what was mangled in to the jockey wheels of the aforementioned Specialized Tricross. Nasty, nasty combination of oil, mud and road debris. This stuff eats chains, so try to keep your jockey wheels as clear of rubbish as you can (not easy at this time of year I grant you!)

Specialized Tricross and Crux Elite

A couple of Specializeds in for servicing prior to their trip to Spain (lucky things!) The Tricross needed an Annual Service and a couple of Fibrax Limited brake cables. The Crux on the other hand only needed an Interim Service, a front hub service and a replacement KMC 9spd chain.

Boardman Comp

It’s about this time of year that your hubs take a real beating. Water ingress and general filth damaging the internals. This Boardman Comp for example; look at the state of those bearings! Much improved after a thorough clean, re-grease and shiny new bearings though.

B-Twin

Why, oh why, would any retailer (mentioning no names) spec brake levers like this on a child’s bike? Anatomically incorrect and made of materials which actually create friction when applying and releasing the brake. As a result, the owner of this B-Twin struggled to apply the brakes, and when they did engage, they didn’t release correctly. New Raleigh Road levers fitted along with new Fibrax Limited brake cables. That’s more like it…according to its owner, it’s like a ‘new bike’. Just in time for Christmas too!

Norco Valence

Only the second Norco through the doors (I think!) and this one’s a road bike! Norco’s renowned for its excellent mountain bikes, but it seems they know their way round a tarmac basher too, Fully Shimano Road 105 equipped, this is one quick bike. Unfortunately, due to a snapped rear gear cable, it wasn’t going as quickly as it should. So, a replacement Fibrax Limited inner and outer was finished which immediately improved matters. Gears adjusted correctly and the owner’s already put a couple of 100kms under its wheels.

Muddyfox

You can tell Christmas is on its way; this is the first ‘bike in a box build’ to come through the workshop. Fully built up now and one lucky lad’s going to get a very pleasant surprise on Christmas morning.

Frog

Next up we have one of the excellent Frog bikes. A real competitor to the likes of Islabike…nice light frames with excellent componentry. This one was purchased on-line and arrived with skipping gears. Rear derailleur adjusted and cable tension amended and all gears were accessible with lightning changes.

Saracen Tufftrax

Busy week after being off for a couple of weeks convalescing. First up there’s a Saracen Tufftrax that came off second best to a chunk of rock…well, it’s rear derailleur did anyway. The gear hanger needed adjusting to bring everything back in line, and a new Shimano MTB Tourney rear derailleur fitted. Gears adjusted and it was off again.

Condor

This Condor had been in a couple of weeks ago with a very, VERY worn bottom bracket. Its owner needed it in a hurry for a charity ride he was doing the same weekend. Unfortunately, the bottom bracket cups wouldn’t shift as they were corroded tightly in place (not a lick of anti-seize had been applied I assumed). Fast forward a couple of weeks and its owner asked me to try again as it was virtually un-rideable. So, using a slightly Heath-Robinson solution consisting of bolts and thingymajigs, I finally managed to shift it. As you can see the bottom bracket shell was in a state.

Condor non-drive side bottom bracket shell

Once cleaned up, and the threads chased, it was time to fit a new Shimano bottom bracket, re-fit the crankset and double-check the chain line. Result? One very happy owner and a (slightly) relieved bike mechanic.

Condor new bottom bracket