Mechanics and Fixing Any Questions Answered

What BB is my bike likely to have? Can I tell without removing the cranks? It was specced with Sram Red Etap 11 when that was the thing. Rich dentist owner. Custom Parlee Z Zero, Cane Creek headset, Enve bars and seat pin, Carbonsports wheels. Bought from Bespoke Cycling, an obnoxious money-grubbing dealer in the City. (Actually the dealer has since gone bust and been bought by staff who may be lovely people for all I know.)

If it had a SRAM red crankset, the Bb is probably a 68mm. SRAM’s most common road bearing is GXP. Yud have to post a pic of the cups to see if it’s BSA or press fit.

bought a new frame with an integrated headset, there’s some thin paint overspray in the bearing ‘cups’ of the head tube. Have test fitted the headset and it feels to spin smooth with bearings sat in flush, but should I really get this reamed by a shop or something?

First bike with an integrated headset so I’ve no idea what the dealio is

Ideally you’d get it reamed but I’ve found integrated to be pretty forgiving. Also found the reamers are pretty rare.

I’ve got a small wire brush that goes in my drill that’s the perfect size for cleaning paint and corrosion out of them, might be all you need to do.

Ah nice good to know, thanks M_V

Maybe I’ll give some wire wool a go

Trying to fit studs for cyclocross in some shimano MTB shoes - the T-Nut inside is just spinning when I try to remove the blanking screw. Anyone got tips for holding that T-Nut in place?

I’m definitely loading the spring the right way but before I get all the way round the hooked end of the spring forces itself out and jams in between the cages.

This doesn't compute - loading the spring is winding it up, not unwinding it. If you were winding it up and the end let go, it would have gone inside. It could only be poking out if you were trying to unwind it, right?

Thanks, I'll take a photo.

I recall having the exact same problem once with a SLX derailleur. No I wasn't unwinding it, first thing one checks after the spring pops out. Sadly can't remember what I was doing wrong or how I solved it.

I'm gonna stop thinking about this because it's making my brain hurt. Seems like you had to be there

I have a black headset that I want to make silver.

Would you hyve mind recommend against popping them in caustic soda because tolerances of bearings and head tube?

Have had some good and satisfying results with deanodising parts a while ago and still have the kit and drain cleaner.

Also.
I have a Shimano center lock rear wheel.
I have a Shimano center lock converter to 6 bolt.
I have a 6 bolt bolt on cog.

Any reason not to use the above together? Will the aluminium splines of the center lock be able to withstand the drivetrain forces? Something something physics.
@gbj_tester the probable person to call..

I have considered this before
However the splines will be strong enough - designed to take same forces as 6 bolt
However braking forces only apply in one direction
On a sprocket they can be forwards and back and you will feel a rocking sensation
If you lock the brakes on disc with centre lock and rock backwards and forwards you well feel it.
Like riding with a slack chain on fixed feeling

I had the same thinking; good enough for braking, good enough for riding innit?!

The rocking back and forth I don't understand; if the lockring is torqued up sufficiently that shouldn't happen right?
I actually also have a steel center lock lockring lying around..

@JohnnyOnions means that the Centrelock Spline interface is known to be as sloppy as…a very sloppy thing. You’ll feel that movement in the drivetrain.

You’ll feel that movement in the drivetrain

Which doesn't matter anywhere near as much as the fact that the repeated load reversal will destroy the hub splines pretty quickly. Centerlock is an idiotic design for brake rotor attachment, and it's orders of magnitude worse for any drive which needs to cycle between forward and reverse.
I'd never use a centerlock hub for anything, but in a pinch you could used an adaptor which clamps to the spline to eliminate backlash and thereby mitigate the wear issue

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because tolerances

The anodising is easily thick enough to push you out of tolerance, and that's assuming you only take off the anodising. Sodium hydroxide dissolves aluminium better than it does aluminium oxide, so you're likely to remove base metal too.

@M_V, @gbj_tester thanks for destroying my dream of making it easy for myself.
Back to the drawing board!

I could of course mask the head tube interface, and inner surface of the cup so to only attack the outer surface of the cups that don't touch anything else than air...?
Grease would theoretically work right?

I've developed a working method with caustic soda of using thick drain cleaner fluid so higher viscosity, enhanced by the small pellets of caustic soda leading to even higher viscosity and potency.

Please shoot me down if still stupid. Although you generally don't need encouragement for that..;)

I could of course mask the head tube interface, and inner surface of the cup so to only attack the outer surface of the cups that don't touch anything else than air...?
Grease would theoretically work right?

Masking solves your erosion problem, grease doesn't solve your masking problem. Sodium hydroxide turns grease into soap. Powder coat masking tape should work, you might get some bleed at the edges but not enough to affect the fit.

Thank you very much!:)
#gottestered

In hindsight I’m not sure what I was doing. I was getting annoyed and maybe I was rotating it the wrong way. And I was possibly over torquing the p-axle/cage bolt. Anyway I’ve replaced the spring and the mashed up seal and it’s all together and I’ve wound it round and it’s all good.

However a few movements back and forth of the cage and it goes all tight again. So I back off the bolt and it’s nice and springy again. But again a few movements back and forth of the cage and it goes all tight. Moving the cage back and forth is tightening the p axle bolt. No idea why. I’ve taken it all apart, made sure it’s greased, backed off the clutch tension but the same thing keeps happening.

I should add that the mech is totally unused, so it’s not worn or full of dirt.

It’s definitely being caused by the clutch because when I remove the clutch mechanism it’s not happening and remains nice and springy no matter how many times I move it back and forth

Thru axle hub end caps. How do I stop these falling off all the time? Giant stock wheels every time I take the wheel out to put it in the car the caps always fall off. Today was the first time I managed to ride without one of them in placevby mistake..can't think of this happening with any other wheels tbh so not sure if a feature or a flaw..

Assume they're just press fit? Do they have any rubber o-rings inside inside to keep them in place? Maybe they've fallen out?