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Thanks @cheekysnaker and @coast_turtle - really appreciate that, guys! Its good to know I'm not the only one to make some mistakes first time through. The brakes both seem to have the same bite-point today (compared to yesterday - but they haven't magically equalised, so there is still a small difference side-to-side), and I cannot see any more fluid on the floor, so I'm going to ride for a bit and wait for any bubbles to rise.
I also realised that the rear mech wasn't quite oriented correctly, I think. This is another one where I cannot find a pic, so I am guessing, but... well, see what you think?
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Top photo putting derailleur further back is correct I believe.
My first attempted bleed ended with me blowing the syringe off and spraying hydraulic fluid up the walls and over myself. One good reason to use Shimano…
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Thanks, @amey - that's what I was looking for! OK, so I've now got the mech & drop-link thing oriented correctly, but as a result I may have to take another 30mm off the cable outer.
In other news... my power meter eventually arrived! Its a Sigeyi, mostly because I couldn't get a Power2max Rotor 3D24 110bcd spider power meter. So Sigeyi was my next option to fit those cranks. The reviews I've seen are all good, so I'm hopeful that'll be my experience too. These have a rechargeable battery and a magnetic USB charger cable thing. Fitting was a piece of cake (which is nice after all the shenangigans with brakes and rear mech).
Anyways, now the chainset and power meter is on, time to fit the chain. I have got a YBN SLA gold for training (all nicely waxed for maxi-slippiness), and a DA for special days.
I also put on some cheap Lifeline 'bar tape, but its not the pro stuff that I really like, its like a cheap version of Cinelli cork. I'm not optimistic!!
So, photos of all this stuff tomorrow; too dark to get anything that looks reasonable this late. Sorry.
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Whoop! I built a bike!
Here's a couple of photos of the rideable thing. I should really celebrate getting to this stage, but of course there are a whole lotta jobs I have either not got around to or been pushing down the road. Stuff like some heli-tape on the chainstay, and an aerobar (two jobs at either end of the trickiness spectrum).
So, I need a full jobs list next. But for now, coffee and feeling happy! Thanks everyone for your help and advice in getting here. Its very much appreciated!
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keen to know your opinion on this powermeter
did it come with the tool to install on the 3D24 crank?Sure thing, @amey. I had the option to buy the tool, but I already had one; I love the 3D24 cranks, and I have a few sets, I added a power2max spider to my race bike, and that has been mostly perfect. I say mostly, because changing the battery involves removing the crank, so a rechargeable unit is a positive. I did pay once for the power meter from Sigeyi, then separately VAT/fees from UPS, which was 86 sheets I wasn't expecting. But the install was really easy, everything was spot-on. I'll do a shakedown, then a back-to-back against some Garmin Vectors and possibly my Kickr Core, and post some more; but I'm unlikely to do better than GP Lama (who, in summary, likes the Sigeyi):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9z7CrO3Ims
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We've got the same power meter setup! I'm not experienced with them so would be interested to know your thoughts. Where did you get yours from? I managed to avoid import duties somehow.
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Thanks for the comments, all!
@jakemcree - I have some heli-tape sitting around (and has been sitting for 10 years) so that's going to be my first try! If it fails, I'll have a look at Restrap, thanks for the tip!@GideonPARANOID - I got mine direct from Sigeyi off their website, delivered by UPS. It was the carrier that was poor; failed to turn up, comms were rubbish. I'll let you know how the unit itself is, but it looks and feels decent, and fitting was really easy. The big advantage with these units is that they auto-calibrate when you pedal back. My Garmin Vector won't auto-calibrate, and won't calibrate without taking your feet out. This is a serious issue when doing long rides where the temps vary from morning/day/night - the power drifts way off, its just junk. The Sigeyi will recalibrate every time I freewheel, nice!
So, what's on the to-do list?
Chainstay protector. Heli-tape first, maybe Restrap second!!
Sort the Garmin mount (insert arriving in the post this week, I hope, needs insetting, more carbon work)
Retape the bars. I treated myself to some Supacaz Galaxy with red bits! Deee-luxe!
Shorten the rear mech outer cable now I've sorted the mech alignment.
Rebleed the brakes once they settle
Calibrate/back-to-back test the Sigeyi power meter (and post results)
Build a second set of wheels with 32mm tyres
Build the aerobar (mahoosive carbon project)
Mount some lights?
Put together a ride toolkit
Build some behind-seat storage. This could be another carbon project... I could integrate a rear light and a vestigial mudguard.
Add some bottle cages -
Union jack and your surname on the top tube in a really shit font. Maybe a single poppy on the head tube too?
I'm assuming this is another vote for no sticker? :-)@TheBonk - mudguards, hmmm. I did want the option for 'guards, but now spring is springing, I'm pushing this one out a bit, I guess. Its still there, but probably not until Sept.
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Make your own!
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Time for an update.
After getting the minimum viable bike built, the weather has been so crap that I have not been out more than 50m. Just to check nothing fell off/snapped. It didn't. But whilst I was whiling away my hours on the turbo, I started to get the urge to make more carbon things! So....
Aerobars
Having gone to the trouble of setting the 4 fixings into the top of the stem, I thought I'd start to make some progress on the aerobars. I've done some of these previously for my time trial rig and also the red Trek TTX, which is serving turbo duty. They work really well, but there are always improvements to be made.The requirement this time is for aerobars that will accomodate a 600ml bidon and a light system with 16h battery life at about 300 lumen. That should cover PBP with a bit to spare. Plus a Garmin mount and a back-up battery to coax 80h out of the Garmin.
So, as per previous designs, there will be two long elbow/forearm cups with tubes on the end to hold, then a lower central section that takes the bidon, with just enough room in front to hold the light head unit, and enough space behind for at least one battery. And this time, the whole unit needs to attach directly to the aerobar.
I've made two separate moulds out of wood. The trapezium shape is the elbow cups, which I will cut in half once the first layups are done. The longer, thinner one is the central section. Its got a flat at the bottom for the stem mount, plus a small flat at the top for the light.
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the mad scientist is at it again
Guilty as charged!
Today, I have done the elbow pad moulding and the central moulding. The central one came later and isn't ready for demould, but the elbow one has come out really well. There are a couple of very small ripples in the finish due to imperfections in the finish of the mould. If I am honest, I kinda knew this was coming, but prepping a mould for a top-quality end result is really time consuming, and the inside of the elbow cups is covered in foam anyway.
Next step is to cut the elbow pads into two, and bond them to a sheet of 3mm carbon I bought - which is quite a bit higher carbon (hence stiffer & stronger) than I can achieve on these complex shapes. It also allows me to fine-tune the angle of the elbow cups, and the wrist separation.
Obviously, there is also a lot of trimming and finishing work required on these, but maybe its interesting to see the process?
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The two mouldings are done, and I've also cut the elbow cups in two, respaced them for what I want, and bonded them together onto a piece of 3mm carbon. Its all starting to take shape! I am pretty happy with the way its coming together, but I remember from previous editions that there is loads of work to get the hand grips on/in the right position, plus there is no way I have enough strength in the stem mount area yet, so there's a lot more work to go.
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cheekysnaker
amey
Jeromeo
jakemcree
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gillies
pifko
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Fast and long
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@scarlet
Had the exact struggles when doing my first hydraulic disc brake bleed, too. Although in my case the results (amount of leakage) were not as drastic, as I'm pretty neurotic when it comes to carrying out maintenance procedures. So for example, I always keep an eye on the hose on the caliper end so it doesn't pop out (I made a note of the connection being flimsy very early on, so I knew it was something to be observed throughout the process).
In the end, what I do is I have the syringe on the caliper end resting on a chair similar to what's shown in your picture, and then play with the height of the workstand so that the syringe rests on the chair without too much tension on the hose, so it doesn't get disconnected so easily on those moments when you can't support the hose with your hand. I know it's a faff and I could probably rig up something to make the bleeding easier (I saw an interesting setup by Free to Cycle on YouTube, which involved using a spray bottle of some sort hanging from the wheel through a metal wire).
I also learned the required torque for the hose fastening the hard way, as I noticed some brake fluid on the hose after the first ride. Carefully tightened the hose fitting slightly more and it fixed the leak. I must say I'm still very careful tightening the fastenings when assembling a new brake system, but I think I've gained some confidence now. It especially pays to be cautious on the lever end as stripping the threads on the lever will be much more expensive compared to the caliper. But I have never had leaks from the lever end, even though I'm pretty sure the torque I've set by feel on the fitting is below the recommended torque setting.
Oh, and actually there is a tool bit from Shimano which you can attach to a torque wrench and it appears to be not too costly (https://r2-bike.com/PRO-Adapter-Open-End-Wrench-8-mm-fuer-1-4-Mount). I think the keyword for this type of bit is "crowfoot wrench".
Anyway, it's usually only the first bleed that's the most laborious but after filling the system and doing the first bleed, the Shimano brakes are extremely easy to maintain (if properly bled the first time, they might actually go perfectly fine for two years or more without any maintenance, though they recommend a bleeding to be done once a year). You only connect the partly filled funnel on the lever end and pump the hose to get some air bubbles out, which is basically a 5-minute job.
Edit. also wanted to add that my front and rear have a different bite point even though they should be properly bled and IIRC, I've read similar reports from Shimano users (which is obviously no proof that it would not be a user error...)