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!)
Category Archives: Case Studies
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. On the plus side, the replacement Shimano Road item is 11 speed ready, has silky smooth bearings and an easily replaceable freehub body. Not the best news in the world, but a silver lining could be seen
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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
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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.
