Mechanics and Fixing Any Questions Answered

Have this old alloy dropbar and thinking how unsafe is this? Previous removal left about mil depth gauges across the brace part. Would go on a sort of atb/trekking bike.

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how unsafe is this?

You wouldn't be asking if you didn't already know 🙂

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I wouldn’t be happy using that bar for any athletic riding. Pootling down the pub, maybe.

how unsafe is this?

No idea but I do know how ugly it is.

Yeah I suspected as much. Still hate to waste, even if its due somebody being inpatient with removal. I reckon nobody ever tried to replace those mid brace collars on this style of bars?

nobody ever tried to replace those mid brace collars on this style of bars?

You'd have to straighten it first, since the ferrule is swaged onto the tube stock before the bar is bent🙂

Here goes that than I guess

There are a helluva lot more fish in that sea

What torque would you apply to install a track cog?

40Nm.

What torque would you apply to install a track cog?

All of it.

Seen plenty people strip the threads on their hubs in the velodrome but only ever with their legs, not arms.

Seen plenty people strip the threads on their hubs in the velodrome but only ever with their legs

I'm guessing a good big bloke can apply 2000N to the pedal at 170mm radius, so 340Nm at the crank, reduced to 102Nm at the hub by 50/15 gearing. I can easily hit the 110Nm required for van wheel bolts with the same torque wrench as I use for 1.37" cycle threads

Er no idea, I just ride the bike for a bit and then check the lockring. Unless it is a miche ring on a threaded holder...the I give up.

Thanks for the answers.

Anyone else had the misfortune of using muc off dry lube? Nice clean chain, applied a decent amount to each roller, wiped off excess, nice dry outer plates. 100km later and there's black residue on every plate which just doesn't come off, even with white spirit and a dish brush. God knows what the inside of the chain is like.

We couldn’t get it to stick to the chain it prefers legs and furniture

A good friend of mine engineered one of their cleaning products, and it's absolutely useless at removing any of their other products

Yes, almost impossible to eradicate later, as others remark. When it comes to cleaning up the cassette cogs, a wire brush is your only friend

I actually live a couple of km away from their main office. Seriously considering turning up with 2 ruined chains and asking WTF?!

Yeah I used it until I got clickbaited into watching a YouTube video of "bike stuff mechanics hate" and it was in there. Guy reccomended Fenwicks which I went for and seems to perform much better.

This one, don't agree with a lot of it but he was bang on about Muc Off!
https://youtu.be/WuJRNbSkb_E

Chap didn’t think it through when he complained about repairing a front puncture on a lefty Cannondale.

Mucoff oil is shit apart from the really expensive blue stuff which was great, Fenwick's is less shit but still a bit thick, grubby and sticky, all wet lube opinions, dry is stupid in the UK. Bikes I fix get finish line, mine gets prolink because it starts off messy until it cleans everything else out, then it's just really good and you can use it to clean and lube from there on in.

Long time since I've had to think about this, alu seat post in alu frame: Anti-seize paste? Grease? Or just as is?

Also follow up, I've removed a carbon post from the same frame, does it need to be cleaned in any way before going in a carbon frame (don't want any residual aluminium oxide to bind the post into the frame)

Muc off wet and urban are the worst product to hit the cycle industry in maybe 20 years? Search back and you'll see me and others ranting about it for 5 years.

Have tried to talk to muc off on a commercial level (we're a shop and workshop and know a LOT of other mechanics around this small isle) and their only on the record response was 'your customers are using too much of it'.

You'll find LOTS of other bike chain lubes now also have the same issue. IF you see the small blue star on the packaging signifying its made of Bio oil/renewable products. DO NOT USE IT. Seen it on at least ten different brands now, all do the same, turns your drive into one gigantic tacky black solid mass that won't change gear right, coats your frame and only thing that really takes it off is.....
Cyclon Bionet chain cleaner (dutch brand), soak it and a very stiff brush or a wire brush. If its got on your frame and been left for months your only hope is to basically cheese grate it off with a plastic tyre lever and then use the Bionet.
Also found commercial grade paint thinner and Xylene will take it off. But will also ruin your skin, bad for the environment and will likely damage your paint or bike components

Judging by the smell and consistency I think its literally vegetable oil with a modifier, thats all it is.

ANY environmental benefits of that 'bio oil' is totally wiped out by the fact we are seeing brand new reasonable quality bikes (tiagra 10, 105 11, sram force etc) needing a new chain within 400 miles due to the massively increased wear rate, seen dozens if not more rear mechs ripped off due to jockey wheels totally caked within a month or so of use. And the really strong products and labour required to remove it.

Would really like to know muc off's commercial stance on this product. Are they secretly owned by 'big bike chain, cassette, chainrings, rear mech and mech hangers LLC'?