Wrong size bike

Whilst changing my stem for a slightly shorter model in an attempt to prevent an
intermittent trapped nerve problem, I managed to completely wreck the star
fangled nut thingy. [1]

No problem I thought (although it did happen on Thursday evening so I had to go
to work by car on Friday, ugh!) all I have to do is pop down to Guildford on
Saturday and get a new one. I'll be back on the road by Saturday afternoon. The
following replies were received from the three shops I visited. (Reporting
accuracy not guaranteed exact, but the sentiment is about right)

Halfrauds. (Please read with a 'Merkin accent) "A what? We probably don't have
one in that size. I don't think we have any at all. What is that?"

Pedal Pushers. "No, not in that size. You could use a 1.125" and file it down to
size"

Raleigh Shop. "Only 1.125". We have lots of those. The distributors won't sell
small quantities of such items"

A phone call to Evans Cycles in Woking came up positive, so I drove (second bike
not yet complete, cash flow problem, ok!) over in the afternoon and introduced
myself to the Saturday Afternoon Yoof. "Oh yeah, right." Conference with older
and possibly slightly wiser Yoof. Item is pointed out on a hanger and duly
extracted. "How much?" I enquire. "£9.99" I am informed. A heated exchange
follows during which I point out that a Carbon Fibre version is on offer for a
mere £6.99 on their website and I enquire politely as to the properties of the
£9.99 version. Eventually a second search of the hanger produces a one inch star
nut, complete with cap for the staggering sum of £2.99.

And I thought cycle lanes were the only nuisance I had to contend with.

[1] If you must know, the new stem was a gnat's shorter (vertically) than the
old one, so the bearing adjustment never actually happened and the star nut lost
two of its blades and pulled out. I suspect corrosion had a hand in the blade
failures.

--
Terry Duckmanton.

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/terry.duckmanton
A website mostly dedicated to cycling

On Sat, 02 Jul 2005 22:27:41 GMT, Terry D
wrote:

Whilst changing my stem for a slightly shorter model in an attempt to prevent an
intermittent trapped nerve problem, I managed to completely wreck the star
fangled nut thingy. [1]

snip

Too late now,but isn't it possible to install these new fangled (2)
thredless headsets by leanig on the top end and doing up the pinch
bolts. I think Sheldon has something on it.



Tim


(2) Just read C+ where it describes a square taper chainset as the
*original* way. Have these people never heard of cotter pins? (3)


(3) Waits for more venerable readers to hark back to whatever preceded
the cotter pin.


Tim

Tim Hall wrote:
Too late now,but isn't it possible to install these new fangled (2)
thredless headsets by leanig on the top end and doing up the pinch
bolts. I think Sheldon has something on it.

Takes more skill and time to get the headset just right like that, but it
is indeed well possible.

~PB

Pete Biggs wrote:
Tim Hall wrote:

Too late now,but isn't it possible to install these new fangled (2)
thredless headsets by leanig on the top end and doing up the pinch
bolts. I think Sheldon has something on it.


Takes more skill and time to get the headset just right like that, but it
is indeed well possible.

~PB



That's the really annoying part of all this, once you've set up the bearings the
bolt is only there to hold the cover on.

--
Terry Duckmanton.

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/terry.duckmanton
A website mostly dedicated to cycling

Terry D wrote:

That's the really annoying part of all this, once you've set up the
bearings the bolt is only there to hold the cover on.

Apart from forks with a carbon steerer. There's a reasonable chance of
crushing the steerer with the stem if the expander bung (carbon forks
don't use a star nut) isn't in there to reinforce it.

How the USE Ring-Go-Star device gets round this I don't know. Maybe it
doesn't, and you have to go really easy on the stem clamp.

Zog The Undeniable wrote:
Terry D wrote:

That's the really annoying part of all this, once you've set up the
bearings the bolt is only there to hold the cover on.

Apart from forks with a carbon steerer. There's a reasonable chance
of crushing the steerer with the stem if the expander bung (carbon
forks don't use a star nut) isn't in there to reinforce it.

How the USE Ring-Go-Star device gets round this I don't know. Maybe
it doesn't, and you have to go really easy on the stem clamp.

I'd like to see all stem manufacturers copying Oval Concepts' design, that
uses a "bias-cut slot and opposed clamp bolts to reduce peak clamping
loads, which is especially important for carbon steerers".
- http://www.ovalconcepts.com/products/index.html - road - stems -
R700

On a similar theme, the Campagnolo seat clamp is good for carbon seat
posts. These products are also good to use on metal steerers and posts,
IME. It's nice to be able to clamp securely without having to worry about
stripping threads and bending bolts, etc. You can just tell from the feel
(when doing the bolts up) that they really do work well. Makes the
traditional straight-slot designs seem stupid.

~PB

On Sun, 03 Jul 2005 17:38:00 GMT, Terry D
wrote:

Too late now,but isn't it possible to install these new fangled (2)
thredless headsets by leanig on the top end and doing up the pinch
bolts. I think Sheldon has something on it.

Takes more skill and time to get the headset just right like that, but it
is indeed well possible.


That's the really annoying part of all this, once you've set up the bearings the
bolt is only there to hold the cover on.

Leave it off.

I do without star nuts and top caps now. You can use a length of
threaded bar and some nuts 'n washers as a universal headset
tensioner, which is removed once the job is done.

This leaves the fork steerer tube free for your computer cable

Computer mounts on the stem, the cable and sensor are fed neatly down
the fork steerer and taped inside of the fork leg. Very neat and
practically invisible, none of that coiling it around brake cables
malarkey. Champagne cork with a suitable notch then stuffs in the top
to cap it off.




"Bob"
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I wrote:

Too late now,but isn't it possible to install these new fangled (2)
thredless headsets by leanig on the top end and doing up the pinch
bolts. I think Sheldon has something on it.

Takes more skill and time to get the headset just right like that,
but it is indeed well possible.

Update: Just found out it's not so possible on a steeply rising stem, I
suppose because it's difficult to push the stem down /squarely/ by hand.

~PB

On Wed, 6 Jul 2005 23:22:20 +0100, "Pete Biggs"
wrote:

Too late now,but isn't it possible to install these new fangled (2)
thredless headsets by leanig on the top end and doing up the pinch
bolts. I think Sheldon has something on it.

Takes more skill and time to get the headset just right like that,
but it is indeed well possible.

Update: Just found out it's not so possible on a steeply rising stem, I
suppose because it's difficult to push the stem down /squarely/ by hand.

I think, based only on my own limited experience, that it helps to put
the rear wheel up on an appropriately sized block/whatever, so that
the head tube is vertical. Seems to aid getting the pressure squarely
down through the headset.


"Bob"
--

"I will refuse to register for an ID card and will donate £10
to a legal defence fund but only if 10,000 other people will
also make this same pledge." Phil Booth, NO2ID

Join the Pledge !!

http://www.pledgebank.com/refuse

http://www.pledgebank.com/faq


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