# Almost Pro Bike Mechanic **URL:** \ **Category:** Pub\ **Created:** [October 3, 2013, 4:17pm UTC](https://fixed.org.au/t/almost-pro-bike-mechanic/62868 "2013-10-03T16:17:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 35
**Author:** ![Zach](https://fixed.org.au/user_avatar/fixed.org.au/zach/32/3243_2.png) [@Zach](https://fixed.org.au/u/Zach)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2026, 1:11am UTC](https://fixed.org.au/t/almost-pro-bike-mechanic/62868/681 "2026-07-21T01:11:07Z")
self adjusting caliper you mean ---
**Author:** ![jaseyjase](https://fixed.org.au/user_avatar/fixed.org.au/jaseyjase/32/187_2.png) [@jaseyjase](https://fixed.org.au/u/jaseyjase)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2026, 1:36am UTC](https://fixed.org.au/t/almost-pro-bike-mechanic/62868/682 "2026-07-21T01:36:03Z")
ha ! šŸ˜† ---
**Author:** ![jasonc](https://fixed.org.au/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/f9ae1b/32.png) [@jasonc](https://fixed.org.au/u/jasonc)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2026, 4:50am UTC](https://fixed.org.au/t/almost-pro-bike-mechanic/62868/683 "2026-08-29T04:50:35Z")
![20260829_112941](https://fixed.org.au/uploads/default/original/2X/8/837b5a3d21086d038b3ecbf505ff8f2f3e05c0b3.jpeg) Front brakes were starting to make a bit of noise. ā€œBut I only changed them recentlyā€ Ummmā€¦ from my maintenance spreadsheet it looks like the first pair Iā€™ve replaced. Itā€™s done 8000kmsā€¦ ---
**Author:** ![Wyvern](https://fixed.org.au/user_avatar/fixed.org.au/wyvern/32/4453_2.png) [@Wyvern](https://fixed.org.au/u/Wyvern)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2026, 10:19pm UTC](https://fixed.org.au/t/almost-pro-bike-mechanic/62868/684 "2026-09-16T22:19:37Z")
So, my current workshop aggravation.. I bought a slightly tatty alloy De Rosa last week, for a fairly cheap price. Looks like the original owner probably snaffled all the Campag parts and re-equipped with Shimano 105 to pass on to the guy I bought it off, who was fairly clueless. Sadly, this clueless-ness led to him buying a cheap BBB carbon wrap alloy 450mm seatpost when he only needed about 120mm showing on a Medium sized frame. Then it was jammed it in until it fouled the bottle cage rivnutsā€¦ Rode it around for a while like this apparently, even tho it was still a little tall for him. Thus.. on trying to extract this I managed to extract all of the post but the last 100mm, probably splayed at the end from encountering the rivnut, which would not come out as the so-called carbon wrapper rucked up and more or less welded itself to the alloy seat tube. So, after a long battle using a hacksaw to cut slots in the (basically) alloy seatpost and using other tricks Iā€™ve learnt over the years I have come halt, and for the first time in 50 years of wrenching bikes I am going to have to give up and tap the last 100mm of that damned seatpost down into the seat tube as far as it will go and leave it there. Still plenty of space for a 300mm seatpost to fit me but it ranklesā€¦ I really donā€™t understand - why buy a top flight bike and then use a cheap and nasty, far too long seat post in there? Unlubricated as wellā€¦ Some folk really should not be allowed to work on their own bikes! šŸ˜  Richard ---
**Author:** ![Ernestra](https://fixed.org.au/user_avatar/fixed.org.au/ernestra/32/4478_2.png) [@Ernestra](https://fixed.org.au/u/Ernestra)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2026, 12:31pm UTC](https://fixed.org.au/t/almost-pro-bike-mechanic/62868/685 "2026-09-17T12:31:58Z")
Yeah seatposts are a cause of much angst for many of us ! In a perfect world, all quality bicycles would use 27.2 mm circular section seatposts, made of either aluminium or carbon fibre, but not both ! Aluminium seatposts are incredibly easy to cut down to a reasonable length. Either with a hacksaw blade or with one of those plumbers pipe cutters. Everyone who dabbles in bicycle renovation has a horror story about seatposts. Usually stuck seatposts but sometimes like yours, more complicated than that. Iā€™ve ā€œprocessedā€ a few semi-decent retro bikes with stuck seatpost over the years. One was a frame that I purchased just for the forks - the previous purchaser had deemed the stuck seatpost to be a lost cause. After the obligatory half hour of using various tools with no success, I decided that previous owner was absolutely correct. But a friend in the building industry insisted that he should give it a go on his massive workbench. He got the seatpost out but the frame got bent in the process šŸ˜† The most annoying one (for me) was a rather nice 1990ā€™s Merida carbon composite frame. Some genius had decided that finding the correct diameter seatpost was too hard and had rammed a small diameter steel seatpost in using some shims to fill the void. I tried all sorts of things including liquid nitrogen, but with no success. So unfortunately that frame went to landfill. ---
**Author:** ![LDRcycles](https://fixed.org.au/user_avatar/fixed.org.au/ldrcycles/32/4310_2.png) [@LDRcycles](https://fixed.org.au/u/LDRcycles)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2026, 4:27am UTC](https://fixed.org.au/t/almost-pro-bike-mechanic/62868/686 "2026-09-18T04:27:33Z")
My seatpost nightmare was in a nice red and white Univega Conquest road bike. I tried every trick in the book and ended up damaging the frame and having to send it back to the scrap metal pile from whence it came. ---
**Author:** ![familyguy](https://fixed.org.au/user_avatar/fixed.org.au/familyguy/32/353_2.png) [@familyguy](https://fixed.org.au/u/familyguy)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2026, 1:40pm UTC](https://fixed.org.au/t/almost-pro-bike-mechanic/62868/687 "2026-09-20T13:40:27Z")
Wondering why my front shifter wouldnā€™t change up on todayā€™s ride. Problem identified. ![1000055572](https://fixed.org.au/uploads/default/original/2X/8/8d516f4659b8d569183967a7b155ee566fd5240c.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![Wyvern](https://fixed.org.au/user_avatar/fixed.org.au/wyvern/32/4453_2.png) [@Wyvern](https://fixed.org.au/u/Wyvern)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2026, 2:00am UTC](https://fixed.org.au/t/almost-pro-bike-mechanic/62868/688 "2026-09-21T02:00:45Z")
Iā€™ve seen that happen to a lot of people recently. The wire twist gear cable outer just seems to eat thru the plastic end caps. Maybe we should all move back to metal ones šŸ™‚ Richard ---
**Author:** ![familyguy](https://fixed.org.au/user_avatar/fixed.org.au/familyguy/32/353_2.png) [@familyguy](https://fixed.org.au/u/familyguy)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2026, 2:25am UTC](https://fixed.org.au/t/almost-pro-bike-mechanic/62868/689 "2026-09-21T02:25:37Z")
That one has no end cap as it wouldnā€™t fit in the frame braze-on fitting. I have a few stepdown ferrules that Iā€™ve made that I can put on to stop this. But am also debating about going 1x10 on this bike, so I may not need it. The brakes and top tube gear fitting seem quite capable of working fine. I think the angle of the cable didnā€™t help in this instance. The bend comes in pretty tight and might have made the load direction situation worse. ---
**Author:** ![Ernestra](https://fixed.org.au/user_avatar/fixed.org.au/ernestra/32/4478_2.png) [@Ernestra](https://fixed.org.au/u/Ernestra)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2026, 10:50am UTC](https://fixed.org.au/t/almost-pro-bike-mechanic/62868/690 "2026-09-21T10:50:35Z")
Why does the shifter cable enter the cable stop so sharply from the right side of the bike ? What am I missing here, usually the FD is controlled from the left ā€œbrifterā€, so it would be expected to follow a more straightforward path ? if going 1x, the temptation would be to look for an electronic RD šŸ¤” ---
**Author:** ![Wyvern](https://fixed.org.au/user_avatar/fixed.org.au/wyvern/32/4453_2.png) [@Wyvern](https://fixed.org.au/u/Wyvern)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2026, 10:25pm UTC](https://fixed.org.au/t/almost-pro-bike-mechanic/62868/691 "2026-09-21T22:25:28Z")
\<\\> Only if you are rich šŸ™‚ Richard ---
**Author:** ![Wyvern](https://fixed.org.au/user_avatar/fixed.org.au/wyvern/32/4453_2.png) [@Wyvern](https://fixed.org.au/u/Wyvern)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2026, 10:30pm UTC](https://fixed.org.au/t/almost-pro-bike-mechanic/62868/692 "2026-09-21T22:30:07Z")
Gosh, stepdown ferrules - havenā€™t heard of those for a while. Very useful items! I have a bottle of them I acquired from an old bike shop ages ago. Some were flat on one side. They were used when using ā€˜modernā€™ cable outers on old French bikes apparently. Iā€™m almost out now, can you still buy them? Richard ---
**Author:** ![familyguy](https://fixed.org.au/user_avatar/fixed.org.au/familyguy/32/353_2.png) [@familyguy](https://fixed.org.au/u/familyguy)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2026, 12:41am UTC](https://fixed.org.au/t/almost-pro-bike-mechanic/62868/693 "2026-09-22T00:41:55Z")
All fair questions. A few reasons I can think of: 1. The cable is already coming in at an angle due to nature of more modern double-hidden-cable brifters having it all below the bar tape. Thereā€™s only so far it can loop, so itā€™s a bit unfriendly from the start. 2. It had a bar mounted bag on it (not the first time) which I suspect applied enough force to push the cable juuuuust beyond the point of system failure, something it didnā€™t do last time. 3. The new Shimano FD (in this case a R7000 105) need a substantial amount of tension. Way more than anything this was probably designed for in the 1980s/1990s. Combine those three factors and youā€™ve got this failure. Nothing a ferrule and/or a little more cable canā€™t fix. But the bar bag mount is tricky to get right with this FD routing. ---
**Author:** ![warthog](https://fixed.org.au/user_avatar/fixed.org.au/warthog/32/4293_2.png) [@warthog](https://fixed.org.au/u/warthog)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2026, 1:59am UTC](https://fixed.org.au/t/almost-pro-bike-mechanic/62868/694 "2026-09-22T01:59:27Z")
Nope. You need disc but my 12s Ltwoo eGR was ~$500- It was an AliEx special but they do come up. Early days, but very, very good thus far. šŸ˜ This came up on a quick search too. > **[WHEELTOP EDS OX 2.0 Electronic Wireless Groupset, 3-14s Speed , Shift + Rear...](https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005010185944516.html?invitationCode=ZXFDZlVvbjhRVWdYWmFydWZTczJCelFpR2JPN1Q0MUdMMTZBcTVzc2tPYWVQemFTZUJrNWVWT0s1MU1hdTAyWg&srcSns=sns_Copy&spreadType=socialShare&social_params=22198643154&bizType=ProductDetail&spreadCode=ZXFDZlVvbjhRVWdYWmFydWZTczJCelFpR2JPN1Q0MUdMMTZBcTVzc2tPYWVQemFTZUJrNWVWT0s1MU1hdTAyWg&aff_fcid=d78c7f3ca6ff4e3687bb0d82520081f5-1790042689165-00630-_mtCdxbl&tt=MG&aff_fsk=_mtCdxbl&aff_platform=default&sk=_mtCdxbl&aff_trace_key=d78c7f3ca6ff4e3687bb0d82520081f5-1790042689165-00630-_mtCdxbl&shareId=22198643154&businessType=ProductDetail&platform=AE&terminal_id=c0f18aa2832a42a48ce424905ae77ca5&afSmartRedirect=y)** > > Smarter Shopping, Better Living! Aliexpress.com ---
**Author:** ![jasonc](https://fixed.org.au/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/f9ae1b/32.png) [@jasonc](https://fixed.org.au/u/jasonc)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2026, 9:36pm UTC](https://fixed.org.au/t/almost-pro-bike-mechanic/62868/695 "2026-10-13T21:36:40Z")
front tyre (tubeless) didnā€™t seal yesterday morning. i got home, slowly. had a spare that had done about 1000kms. put it on couldnā€™t get it to seal. same tyre - Pirelli hookless tyre. gave up. put a brand new Schwalbe on. it sealed first go ---
**Author:** ![warthog](https://fixed.org.au/user_avatar/fixed.org.au/warthog/32/4293_2.png) [@warthog](https://fixed.org.au/u/warthog)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2026, 9:54pm UTC](https://fixed.org.au/t/almost-pro-bike-mechanic/62868/696 "2026-10-13T21:54:54Z")
I have found a storage tank compressor has helped me in that situation. Dump a heap of air at pressure, quickly, to seat a reluctant tyre. I use presta valves and pull the valve out of the core to facilitate greater air flow. Once the bead pops over the retention lip it holds and then put sealant and valve core in. Roll wheel on both sides etc to put sealant on the beads. ---
**Author:** ![jasonc](https://fixed.org.au/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/f9ae1b/32.png) [@jasonc](https://fixed.org.au/u/jasonc)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2026, 10:44pm UTC](https://fixed.org.au/t/almost-pro-bike-mechanic/62868/697 "2026-10-13T22:44:18Z")
> [@warthog](#): > > I have found a storage tank compressor has helped me in that situation. I donā€™t have a compressor, but have a tubeless blaster (from aliexpress). with the schwalbe tyre it worked first shot. i gave up with the pirelli (hookless bead) tyres ---
**Author:** ![warthog](https://fixed.org.au/user_avatar/fixed.org.au/warthog/32/4293_2.png) [@warthog](https://fixed.org.au/u/warthog)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2026, 2:51am UTC](https://fixed.org.au/t/almost-pro-bike-mechanic/62868/698 "2026-10-14T02:51:40Z")
Tubeless blaster sounds like a good thing but it wont do the air volume of a compressor. Even that has failed me once with a gravel king sk. Had to seat both beads with a tube and then remove the tube leaving one bead seated. It managed to seat the remaining bead when blasted again. That might be worth a try when the Schwalbe is done. ---
**Author:** ![jasonc](https://fixed.org.au/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/f9ae1b/32.png) [@jasonc](https://fixed.org.au/u/jasonc)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2026, 4:00am UTC](https://fixed.org.au/t/almost-pro-bike-mechanic/62868/699 "2026-10-14T04:00:21Z")
i have used the tube trick before. But the blaster works, for decent tyres. hookless tyres, not so much ---
**Author:** ![warthog](https://fixed.org.au/user_avatar/fixed.org.au/warthog/32/4293_2.png) [@warthog](https://fixed.org.au/u/warthog)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2026, 7:58am UTC](https://fixed.org.au/t/almost-pro-bike-mechanic/62868/700 "2026-10-14T07:58:32Z")
I havenā€™t found any difference in seating attributable to whether they are hookless compatible or not. Most tubeless tyres \>25c are hookless compatible these days. It is the material the bead is made of that determines it afaik. Hookless beads are actually stronger and more resistant to stretch and elongation. The Schwalbe and Pirelli I have used are both hookless compatible. Which Schwalbe are you running? Some tyres just have a looser bead or a bottom edge of the tyre that doesnā€™t seal as well on the rim bed to drag the tyre wall across ime. Those gravel king SK were like that despite being hookless compatible. [Previous page](https://fixed.org.au/t/almost-pro-bike-mechanic/62868.md?page=34) [Next page](https://fixed.org.au/t/almost-pro-bike-mechanic/62868.md?page=36)