Shimano – andys bike clinic

Brake Central

Andy Todd — Fri, 31 Aug 2018 15:52:29 +0000

Right, now that the summer holidays are done and dusted (at least for those of us with kids), it’s back to work with a vengeance. Last week was brake week. Three bikes, three sets of new hydraulic brakes. Can’t recommend these Shimano-MTB stoppers enough; straightforward to shorten (measure twice, cut once) and decent modulation for the money. What’s not to like?

Trek road bike

Andy Todd — Sun, 06 Mar 2016 11:36:18 +0000

Next up a Trek that also handles commuting duties for its owner, this time from Linlithgow to Glasgow. New Shimano Road cassette, KMC Chain USA chain and a big SRAM road chain ring were required here. A quick gear adjustment and it was pounding the streets of Glasgow once more.

Boardman Comp LTD

Andy Todd — Fri, 12 Feb 2016 15:36:37 +0000

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.

Daewoo

Andy Todd — Thu, 28 Jan 2016 16:18:02 +0000

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

Andy Todd — Sun, 24 Jan 2016 11:22:31 +0000

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

Andy Todd — Sat, 23 Jan 2016 09:23:06 +0000

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!)

Boardman Comp

Andy Todd — Sat, 23 Jan 2016 08:16:52 +0000

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

Saracen Tufftrax

Andy Todd — Thu, 26 Nov 2015 13:41:20 +0000

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

Andy Todd — Mon, 09 Nov 2015 14:28:39 +0000

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