Bicycle Shifters

hi Bondy,

I've been a racing cyclist in the peak days of my vigor, and I understand the pros and cons of a powerful brake. hydraulic brakes, AFAIK are a recent development, and were never intended by bike manufacturers, or even probably preferred by professional cyclists for the following reasons:

• it adds weight,
• it complicates maintenance,
  
• it can be dangerous with misapplied (especially if it is at the front wheel!).

if it is a racer bike you're using, I'd vote against it.

I guess it all boils down to attentiveness while riding. if you can anticipate traffic around you, and dont' do speeds that are more than you can handle, you'll be safe with the existing brakes (assuming they're working well). putting extra stopping power may only result to skids that will only be embarrassing, at the least.

just my 2 cents. whatever you decide on, have fun, and stay safe!

Thanks. I try to go at sensible speeds, but that is usually as fast as I can go. Trying to keep up with cars on their way in and out of town. My existing brakes were absolutley terrible, my rear wheel is slightly buckled so the rear brake cannot be fully tightened (its a v) so that doesn't work, and I had changed my front brake for a mechanical disk, which just wouldn't work, so I changed it again for a hydraulic which was pre-bled and used. I am getting a new back wheel in under a week's time, so I will then put a disk on it. The reason for the disks is I cycle a lot in the rain and just find I canot stop to go down a hill at 30mph and then try to get through some bollards.

Take care.

Hi Bondy,

Just a short point.

You say your back wheel is buckled? If it is buckled so it is not round, have you tried altering the tension of the spokes?

If it is a 'wobbly' (side to side) buckle of the rim, then I cannot think how to remedy it.

Take care.

Out-of-round (radial error) and wobble side-to-side (lateral error) are both corrected by adjusting the spoke tension. Wobble is corrected by adjusting the spokes on one side only (this will "pull" the rim in the direction of the spoke you tighten). Out-of-round is corrected by adjusting both left and right spokes at the same time.

Tony

Hello OldTechNewToys,

I thank you for your kind reply post, thank you.

I have never actually tried to straighten a wheel, but my Father used to check his wheels every year or after a puncture.

I feel it is too easy to throw a wheel out, when it may well be a better design and made than the new one? My Father cycled for forty years and had only one new wheel. He had a racing bike and cycled a fifty mile round trip when he was younger.

Take care.

Im sure that if you took all the spokes out, then put the rim between two bits of chipboard, and put against a car whilst a car gently reversed into it, it would straighten out the side to side bit.

In the last year, I have had 3 new wheels! They were all crappy quality though, so I am just going to fork out a bit more and buy a nice one. I do a 3 mile round trip every weekday, and usually about 10 on the weekend. Not far every day, but not far enough to warrant a car trip. - I just have a mountain bike that has cost about £300 overall. Even though the forks are knackered

For the benifit of everybody, I have got the new shifters through the post today, and have fitted them. The rear one is working fine, but I have cocked the front one by not winding the wire round the bit on the deralliur and consiquently it is now too short to wind round. I will put a new wire in tomorrow. That means taking it all off again. Nevermind, life goes on.

Cheers for everybody's help!

Hi Bondy,

Good luck with the rest you have to do to get the bike working.

I would choose a decent wheel rim and spokes which are slightly shorter to allow you to fit the Disk Brake. I may have it wrong but think the brake disk take the place of the central rim. It is definitely worth choosing a well known, or should that be a 'wheel known' wheel from a good make.

Take care.

The disk brake wheels have a different hub, which has the screw holes to screw it on.
Take care.

Hi Bondy,

OK, I have learned something! Thanks for the reply

I am glad you have sorted it out.

Take care.

From another life long cyclist - albeit not as much a I would like. I have toured and raced on road, track and cross country and at all distances up to 12 hours.

Disc brakes do have advantages in wet conditions, they are often used in off road mountain bike events. Modern rim brakes have evolved and are incredibly superior to those that I was using 50 yeras ago. The major disadvantage of disc brakes is weight, some of which is rotational. Rotational weight is not good! it needs moving through your energy all the time!

Hydraulic brakes have a further disadvantage in that you have to be prepared to maintain them and if they pop when you are off road and miles from anywhere.......

One further disadvantage of disc brake is that they are more likely to pick up stones etc between the disc and the pads. This is more of a design issue but can be real and dangerous when riding off road.

Re the SRAM/Shimano Issue.

I have ridden Campagnolo most of my life, when re-entering cycling a few years ago I found that the lever would not hold against the force from the movement of the rear shifter. A relative had re-engineered this bike for me as a favour whilst I was away on business! The problem turned out to be a compatibility Issue and I had to change either the mech or the levers; problem fixed, cured. The problem manifested itself when going uphill, moving the lever to engage a lower gear (larger rear cog) and the lever would not hold the gear in place so it reentered a high gear forcing me to stop.

I believe that if you want to mix products like this you need to get advice from a regular professional bike fixer who will/should know what will and what will not work.

Brake & Shifter in one unit is a good thing for the user but it does need compatible shifter and brake products. I would suggest that you address the mountain bike community or a specialist fitter who knows them all.

Have fun

Sleepy

Cheers. I have decided against the SRAMs and got myself a pair of shimanos that are not with built in brake levers. Hopefully they will be compatible...

I pulled the wire front dérailleur with little haste, and didn't notice which way the wire goes. I think it is a Shimano Tourney, but i will have a look in the manual tonight. It is different from other bikes we have got.

Hi Bondy,

You may not need it or find it useful but, I found this site which gives pics and words to help explain. I have copied the single page which gives advice on cables and why they are different, and the links. The first link is to this page, the second link is to gears.

http://www.bikecyclingreviews.com/replacecables_html.htmlhttp:

http://www.bikecyclingreviews.com/adjust_rear_gear_html.html BRILLIANT !

NOTE: This second link also has a video which is at the top of the screen and I think may start automatically and is BRILLINT!!!

How To Change A Gear Or Brake Cable

Your brake and gear cables will eventually need changing, this is a job you can take to the local bike shop, but you could do it your self, save some money and learn a bit more about your bike.

First have a look at your cable, has it broken? That one is easy. If the cable is rusty or if it has frayed change it, it might snap and if you are descending a long or steep hill and your brake cable snaps you're going to be in trouble. If the cable is not running smoothly you can take it out grease it and put it back, this is just like fitting a new cable, but cheaper.

Gear or brake?

Brake cables are a little thicker than gear cables, on the end of all cables there is a "nipple" this is the lump on the end that locates into the gear or brake lever, so it can be pulled.

Nipples for brake cables are different for road and mountain bikes, for road it's a pear shape and for mountain bike its like a barrel, gear cables are also like a barrel, but smaller and are either the cable comes out of the top or the middle of the barrel.

The good news is that most cables you buy have the different nipples on either end, so you can cut off the one you don't need.

Tools you need

1. Small screwdriver.
2. 5mm Allen key.
3. A good pair of cable cutters or pliers.
4. Oil & grease
5. With older brakes and gears you may need an 8 or 10mm spanner.

Brakes First

Road and mountain bike brakes are nearly the same when it comes to changing the cable, first loosen the cable clamp bolt and pull out the cable from the lever, paying attention to where the cable runs as the new cable will be in the same place as the old one.

To do a very good job, pour or spray some oil into the cable outer and put some grease on the cable before you feed it back into the outer cable.

First cut off the nipple you don't need, and then locate the nipple into the lever, then feed the cable through the lever and into the outer cable, pushing it through until it comes out the other end, this could be at the end of the outer cable at the brake or where the cable is open on the frame.

Feed the cable through the rest of the outer cable to the brake, on a mountain bike with "V brakes" you need to push the cable through a "V brake pipe" and then into the cable clamp, pull the cable tight holding the brake blocks to the wheel rim and tighten the clamp on the cable.

Pull the lever a few times to stretch the new cable, then re-tighten the cable, cut the cable to leave about an inch of cable extra from the clamp and if you have a cable tidy (a small metal cylinder to go on the end of the cable) squash this on with pliers or the cable cutters.

Now the Gears

Basically this is the same as the brake cable, loosen the clamp bolt and push the old cable out, looking for where the nipple comes out of the gear lever, normally the gear lever has to be in highest gear to allow this, this is where you are going to push the new cable in.

As with brake cables cut off the nipple you don't need, oil the outer cable and grease the inner cable and start to feed it through the outer cable till it comes out the other end or across a bare cable gap, until you get to the gear mechanism.

pull the cable tight and tighten the clamp bolt onto the cable, cut the cable about an inch from the clamp and fit a cable tidy if you have one.

If it is a new cable it will stretch, so you will have to adjust your gear mechanism again later, following the instructions for the article:

"how to adjust your gears" >>> This is where the video explaning how to adjust your gears is.

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Good luck.

Cheers

It is the front derailleaur that is the problem, but I think I have sorted it, it works at least, even if it is not in the right way

I have been on it tonight and it seemed fine, and I have all my gears again.

Thanks for everything and take care

Hi Bondy,

I am glad it is working.

Take care