Mechanics and Fixing Any Questions Answered

I have a lifeline one - it's brilliant. They don't exist any more obviously but there's a few on ebay for £45

Has anyone used anything other than (extortionate) Shimano internal gear hub oil?

I could do with another couple of mm clearance to fit a mudguard in here. Would there be any problem with using a curved file to remove a bit of metal from just the front edge of the steerer tube below the brake boss? There's currently about 4mm from the underside of the boss to the bottom of the tube.

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Used some cheapo engine oil recently. Can't comment on longevity but it seems to be working ok right now.

Thanks for all the suggestions.

This one? https://www.parktool.com/en-int/product/bearing-cup-press-hhp-2

That's the one I don't like, yep. Two more reasons I don't like it: It's heavy, so if you accidently hit it against a headtube, you're more likely to damage the paint. It's a different size to most other bearing presses so if you need to find an adapter for a 1 1/2" cup for example, you can't easily find adapters from other brands. However, the faces are already so big, they should cover most current standard cups.

Main concern would be any apparent additives swelling plastic bits. I looked on a few forums saying that gearbox oil should be fine, but wondered if anyone had tried it

I'd not heard that. I have heard some concerns about incompatibility of some oils with yellow metals, which might be in bushings etc.

What kind of gear oil, with or with out ep adivives.

Well, exactly.

I just used this. It doesn't smell sulphurous, which apparently is a good sign.

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I’ve used Automatic Transmission Oil , it was fine. I probably have the used stuff in the garage

Does anyone know the diameter of an 11sp campagnolo free hub body? I’m going to do some single speed action and don’t want to buy the specific/expensive SS kit for campy. Can I use generic SS free hub spacers? Can I make my own?

9-10-11-12 speed Campag freehubs come in at approx 35mm diameter.

I wouldn't worry about removing only a mm or two but stop well short of the boss

Yeah, hence my question.

Wasn't trying to be an arse or know it all just interested as I have a second hand nexus hub that I should service before building in to a wheel.

Not to be rude, but would not use tripleqx oil on anything. It is ecp own brand and the few times I have used it on cars oil changes I have replaced the oil and filter on less than a thousand miles as the engine sounded louder and fuel efficientcy went down a noticeable amount.

Tho I did use total 5w40 in the ford/Jag mtx75 box and made the change perfect

re: headset press

found a Lifeline one on eBay - £37

#influencer

Fair enough. The hub had started to complain a bit (despite not being in bad shape internally) so I thought some extra lubrication of any type would be better than nothing. The one change in performance that I have noted is that in some gears (6 & 7?) there's a slight tendency for the cog to stick i.e. for it to rotate forward with the hub (at least that's what it feels like), which gives a bit of a clonk through the drivetrain. I'll see if it settles down, but I'm wondering if it might be something to do with the drag spring that pre-loads the clutch mechanism.

it better be good! XD

I've got the lifeline one, it's always worked fine.

Looking to replace the very worn shimano MF HG20 on my 90s Raleigh. Apologies for ignorance, wondering if popping on a 9 Speed 13 32T which is also screw on will cause problems, or add value. I've no problem with the current gear range, but I'd like to get my wife on it and the extra range will give her confidence I think. My first thought is dishing or generally increasing the OD and needing to cold space the rear?

Given its 90s, measure the OLD between the dropouts; maybe it's 130 already, and if the hub isn't pulling the frame together by 4mm you should be golden if there's a couple of spare mm on the DS spacing. 7s would have been the cheap seats in the 90s, so maybe it's easily upgradeable.

Otherwise you'll need to add some OLD to the hub and some dish to the wheel; you can probably get away without cold-setting but best to bother for the sake of the bearings and axle.

Thanks for the reply, should have thought to measure the dropout spacing. Rear mech may also not take 32 which then leads me into new mech and shifter. Thankfully it's all friction stuff so nothing pricey.

Edit: research shows it's a Shimano RD-TY20 A GS which is a 5 speed which can work on a 6 speed (what it's doing now). To avoid changing too much at once think I'll just put another 6 speed on there and if it get used enough then a new project would be a better use of time and money.