Any question answered...

Not sure but to me they look very old school in their construction, ie, virtually no flex compared to modern grips, they would likely eat a lolly stick.

Bit late now, but standing them in boiling water might have softened them enough to pull them free. Or may have softened any adhesive if they were glued on. Hairdryer probably wasn’t quite hot enough!

Can confirm this works!

Another tip for future readers is to loosen the brake lever then use that to pull the grip off, you might also need some of the other tips but it gives you something good to hold that isn't also adding friction between the grip and bar and the pressure is all around the bottom of the grip nice and evenly.

Dip the grip into a jug of hot water. Leave a couple of minutes until it softens up then twist and pull. Watch for hot drips. Euphemisms galore there.
Refit using hairspray as a lubricant. I can't help myself.

Thank you for the offer, mine is also an Orange post and those fittings look identical (ID of the tube ~26mm as best as I can tell) so may have done the trick. It actually raises new questions though: I can't get enough clamping pressure to prevent the aluminium parts rotating in the steel outer tube. I thought the indentations in the lower section were deformations caused over time and were the culprit but it now looks like they were intentional. I have made a crude shim out of a piece of steel which increases the diameter - any better suggestions? The shim works but is just a pig to install.

1 Attachment

Thanks to everyone who’s replied (late, thanks guys….. 😎 )

No but seriously, these grips were godawful to remove. Hard rubber made even harder by the cold, and before the hairdryer we couldn’t jam a 1.5mm Allen key under it (without marring the grip), let alone a lolly stick or wd40 pipette.

To fit it, we ran out of hairspray so had to use citrus degreaser in a pinch with the customer waiting, and despite absolutely bathing it and the bar, one side got stuck 1” out.

They were the last pair so couldn’t even cut the damned thing off. It made an audible crack when it finally released, with 3 Allen keys under it, heat, half a can of aerosol and two guys twisting. Didn’t think of using hot water, although I probably wouldn’t have out of fear of melting the hellish things. Thanks all

any better suggestions?

I never had any issues with the steel one, but my almost identical Dean Ti one needed Loctite bearing fitting compound to stay in place. The current product is probably 270.

As discussed previously, posts where the clamp goes through the round window work best for riders whose weight vector passes as close as possible to the axis of the cylinder. If you're substantially eccentric, you might never get it to work satisfactorily and should probably change to a different design.

Okay, thanks for the tips. I'll try the Loctite and otherwise keep my eyes peeled for a replacement post.

I'm guessing if it's Orange branded it's a 26.4, in which case the Kalloy SP248 is your friend. It comes in that size (among many others), in silver, and has a very similar set back, but above all, the clamp actually works
https://thecycleclinic.co.uk/products/kalloy-sp248-alloy-silver-400mm-seatpost-25-0mm-to-31-8-in-0-2mm-increments
https://www.bikemonger.co.uk/kalloy-micro-adjust-sp-248-seatpost-19222-p.asp

Cheers and @ak I'll have a look at those on Monday

It just goes around a key, you don't notice it at all.

If you're not French (or don't have a French partner) then you need a compelling reason. Tourism or business is not a 'compelling reason'.

I'd expect them to be wise to people arriving from alternative routes (e.g. Netherlands and then Switzerland). Especially if you're using a UK passport.

https://www.interieur.gouv.fr/Actualites­/L-actu-du-Ministere/Certificate-of-inte­rnational-travel

Thank you - flights now changed...

flights now changed

If you're trying to sneak into France from Great Britain, there must be a people trafficker looking for a back load on his otherwise empty RIB who would be glad of a free £20

What is the easy way I can look back at news by month for this past year?

Does anyone here work for Neff sales/logistics?

Is there any way of easily telling whether a seatpost clamp is for round/oval/other(?!) saddle rails?

My seatpost is a Neil Pryde cf jobbie from ebay and my go to saddle ended up wiggling free mid-ride.

I can't work out why, other than me being scared to torque up to the required 15nm (because it literally sounded like a lot - huge creaks). Could it be rail profile?

This is a very novice question, I appreciate!

Vernier gauge taking spot measurements around the clamp's internal circumference.
If they're not all the same (give or take a smidge), it isn't round.
The same goes for checking the seatpost itself for roundness.
ETA - I'm not 100% certain that I've understood your question correctly.

Is there any way of easily telling

Yes, ask the manufacturer. Responsible ones will already have marked the differentiating parts with the rail size they fit 🙂
For designs which don't work with both 7mm round and 7×9 oval rails, it should be pretty obvious at assembly whether your rails match your clamp.
What torque did you use once you'd decided the manufacturer didn't know what they were talking about? What the thread size of the fastener?

Honestly, I didn't even check the point at which the creaking started - I immediately stopped and reversed.

Obviously not a case of thinking I know better than the manufacturer, I simply didn't feel comfortable proceeding.

Why are apples rejected by the jam makers?

Have a vague recollection that the acids mess with the pectin (?) and prevent it from setting.

Edit. Google suggests not, and that green apple skin is actually a source of pectin /shrug.

Probably because they store well without the considerable expense of sugar

Best budget blu ray player?

Any old games consoles hanging around? Some play blu Ray