Boardman Comp LTD

Finally, some before and after shots of a Boardman that has a hard life transporting its owner from East Lothian in to a well-known Bank’s Head Office that used to be an asylum (naming no names). It needed a Premium Service, a new KMC Chain USA 10spd chain, a Shimano Road 105 10spd cassette and a SRAM road chain ring on top of that. As part of the Premium Service, the control cables are all replaced with spangly Fibrax Limited cabling, so clean, precise shifting is guaranteed.

Carrera Detonator

This Carrera Detonator wouldn’t stop stopping. And it wouldn’t allow you to change from one chain ring to another. By replacing the brake cable on the Clarks mechanical disc brake with a shiny Fibrax Limited item, and cleaning, degreasing, lubing and adjusting the front derailleur, all three chain rings became available. Hoo-hah!

Cannondale

A few from this week, starting with a Cannondale with THE BRIGHTEST new pedals I think I’ve ever seen. Going from dull, old black items to spangly yellow/lime DMR V8s. Good choice.

Raleigh Blue Streak

Finally, and to paraphrase Huey Lewis and the News, we’re gonna go back in time. To a time when there wasn’t just Shimano and Campagnolo components (I don’t think SRAM had been invented at this point), but a host of other standards. One such example was the Benelux groupset which pitched itself against Campagnolo in particular. This Raleigh Blue Streak had a snapped gear cable, so I had to dig out the imperial spanners and set to work on it. Replacing the cable was tricky enough, but the gear adjustments were nothing short of Mission Impossible. Finally, all five rear gears were available (the customer told me the top gear […]

Canyon

Next up a Canyon in need of new pedals fitting and rear brake adjustment. Although pedals should be easy enough to fit, these 105 items were snug to say the least. Its owner tried to fit them himself, but sensibly, backed off when it felt like they may cross the threads of the lovely Ultegra cranks. A wee bit of grease and a steady hand meant these beauties got fitted in time for the weekend.

Daewoo

Another first for Andy’s Bike Clinic; a Daewoo! No, I didn’t know they made bikes either. This one needed a new Shimano MTB cassette, a Fibrax Limited gear cable and a bit of gear adjustment.

Whyte King’s Cross

Whyte King’s Cross in for some work this week. A seized front derailleur (see previous post about the Specialized Vita) would not come back to life despite all the usual lubricants best efforts. So, a new Shimano Road Sora front derailleur was fitted, along with a new 9 speed KMC Chain USA chain. Rounded off with a replacement Fibrax Limited front gear cable and a service, and this workhorse was fit for active duty once more.

Ridgebacks

Finally we have a couple of Ridgebacks which were a little worse for wear. New Fibrax Limited cabling, a new Suntour chainset, Shimano MTB bottom bracket (as you’ll see, the old bottom bracket had outlived its usefulness) and SRAM MTB twist shifter for the MX24 and new grips meant they were ready to go for a family ride (weather permitting!)

Specialized Vita

On to a Specialized Vita now. This one has been well used, and like many others, is put away in a state that’s slightly less than optimum. As a result, it needed a new chain and cassette and the front derailleur had to be coaxed back to life so that it actually moved. The front derailleur gets all the rubbish from the road thrown on to it as the rear wheel turns, so it’s one area that needs special attention. A new set of snazzy SKS mudguards later and a quick service, and this is one bike that’s ‘winter ready’.

Boardman Comp

Next up here’s a Boardman that needed a fair bit of work. The bottom bracket was wobbly like a wobbly thing with the bearings having been totally worn out. FSA item fitted and adjusted to get things back on an even keel. A new KMC Chain USA chain helped to get things going again, along with a refreshing Annual Service. Finally, the freehub body had seized solid…no amount of cajoling or adjustment could bring it back to life. Now, this is one of the areas where mid to lower level Boardmans make some concessions to quality to hit a price point, so it’s actually cheaper to replace the whole wheel. […]