Mechanics and Fixing Any Questions Answered

Soz for a dumb question, but can someone please tell me the thread size for a standard Shimano barrel adjuster - I don't think they are metric :-(

Brake lever or derailleur?

Gear cable please

M5 for frame fitting or rear derailleur. Not sure for gear lever.

I took this fork (carbon legs/alloy steerer) to my LBS to fit a star nut and crown race. I noticed when I picked it up that the surface is now shinier at the bottom of the steerer (see photo). I asked about it and the mechanic in the shop said he used a thin strip of sandpaper on the steerer to help get the crown race on. I'm absolutely not an expert, but I'd not heard of that before. Is it legit? Any chance it would weaken the steerer?

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is it just the angle of the photo, or the design of the forks or have they taken that much material off further up?

My initial thought was a bit of sanding would be totally fine (though not as sensible as cutting a notch in the crown race) but if that curve is from the sanding that looks like quite a bit and in the wrong place

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Hey @fredtc thanks for this, much appreciated. I think the reason for the curve there is because the base of the steerer is slightly wider (maybe 1mm wider) than the rest. Once you get above that bulge at the bottom there doesn't seem to be any difference in width between the sanded part and the non-sanded part. By which I mean I don't think going up from the crown that the steerer gets narrower (as a result of the sanding) and then widens. I tried to take a photo with a straight edge parallel to the rest of the steerer to illustrate.

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Probably not how I’d have gone about things given a fork and crown race that were too tight a fit bit I imagine it will be fine.

Would be interesting to see what the fit is like if you ever change the headset and want to fit a different crown race.

Same here; those cane creek races can be a bit on the tight side but then so can Chris King and they’re popular enough!
Even so, I’d personally never sand a steerer tube….

Thanks all. Hmm not really sure what to think about it. I also needed a star nut fitted and since I've not got the tools for either job (nor the experience of having done it before) I figured taking it to the LBS was the simplest thing. Didn't expect a slightly controversial outcome!

For context it's a Cane Creek 40 crown race (to match the headset already installed on my Straggler, currently fitted with the original steel fork. It's this one: https://www.tritoncycles.co.uk/frames-forks-c6/frame-fork-spares-c152/40-series-41-30-steel-1-1-8-crown-race-p25003/s77458). I just measured with callipers and the very base of the steerer is about 1/32 inch wider than the rest. The crown race is now snug, but I can pull it up using just my fingers without much effort.

Think I'd have probably split the crown race if it really wasn't going on, rather than sand the fork (the non consumable part)

The crown race is now snug, but I can pull it up using just my fingers without much effort.

If it's not a split race then you shouldn't be able to and this would suggest the fork is now undersized/should not have needed modifying.

I can pull it up using just my fingers without much effort.

Whoa! Yeah this is not good. I'm making a lot of assumptions here but if you can pull it off by hand it 'sounds' like the shop have sanded the fork so they could 'fit' it by hand!!
These are normally tight as hell and need quite a whack 'with the correct tool' to get them on. You shouldn't be able to move it without a large hammer or removal tool.
Even with the correct tool I've still had to resort to hammer and screwdriver method to remove cane creek races....

If you can just pull it off it certainly seems like they've fucked the fork unnecessary.

Thanks for the advice. Argh this is all disappointing to hear! Yeah like you said I'd imagined they'd be whacking the crown race on with something like a length of pipe. As soon as I noticed I went back in to query the sanding and how loose the crown race was. Guy in the shop told me it was fine as it would be fixed in place once the headset was preloaded.

I’m interested in hearing from the experts on here but usually when a manufacturer goes through the expense and effort of tooling a component down to ≈0.1mm, they do it for a reason.

What brand is the fork?

Hey, it’s a Brother Kepler carbon disc fork. Not one they do anymore, bought on here last year (https://www.lfgss.com/conversations/357663/) but never got around to doing anything with it until now.

Is there a way to tell if this is a love lever (long pull) or a cantilever from this pic? Thanks for any help

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I have (what once was) a lovely road frame and fork, a Raleigh SBDU.

It is, quite frankly, a bit bent; with no hands it rides slightly canted over, and it has been known to speed-wobble, which is why it got parked several years ago...

Really ought to get my shit together and take it to somebody for some kind of assessment. Being 753 obvs complicates matters.

Is Winston Vaz the only game in town or is there anybody for some reason better suited?

Unfortunately the tolerances probably aren’t that tight and you can end up with tight crown races and/or tight forks.

That means there’s combos that will work and combos that need some ‘finessing’.

@tjmw might have had a combo that needed something doing in order to go together but equally, either they were bullshitting coz they knew they fucked up and overdid it or they actually just don’t know what the fuck they are doing.

Have you done the string check
and the light check (looking at the bike head on to see if the head and seat tube are coplanar)?

It's looks like a canti lever. The love levers have more space between logo and pivot e.g.:

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@atk thanks lad, now makes sense why my trp spykes suck

I haven't. That's a good idea.