Bike polo mechanics & fixing

Yeah that'll end up about three times the price though.

Alfie's bike has a 1" threadless steerer and headset. We have a few 1 1/8" stems around of various sizes and chucked one on with a shim. They shim is slightly shorter than the stem and doesn't protrude at both ends.

We've tried two options for different stacks:

1 1/8" topcap
1 1/8" stem
1" spacer
1"spacer
1"headset

1" topcap
1" spacer
1 1/8" stem
1" spacer
1" headset

With both setups the unions between the different parts of the stack look good and it is possible to tension the headset properly and remove all play, but play seems to develop when it gets a good hard rattling.

any suggestions on this setup, is it destined to fail?

My thinking is that it either needs a 1" stem, or a shim long enough to protrude both ends of the stem and therefore pass the tension past the stem.

Thoughts?

The shim I used when I had a 1" threadless setup had a lip on it, so it wouldn't move through the stem, the lip would sit on the underside of the stem and provide a good interface with spacers or headset.

If you think it'll help I'll look around for that lipped shim, but I have a feeling I sold it with the stem

Both those set-ups seem sensible.
My initial thoughts are:

• The play may have developed as the headset has bedded-in, and once re-tensioned it should be OK
  
• Keep the shim at the bottom of the stem (as per the above)
  
• Use a bigger allen key/HTFU when doing the stem up
  

@Jimmy - I think I can acheive the same effect by clamping the stam to the shim and wriggling them down together, I'll play around with this.

@ Chris? - I think HTFU is probably right. I've retensioned it at least once, but will carry on playing about and see if I can get it to settle.

brake cables and housing: Nokon or Jagwire? I've had Nokon before and was happy with it, but Jagwire is half the price

I'm having a few issues with nokon, although i do not have the rubber outer on, so that could be why. Never tried jagwire.

@Jimmy - I think I can acheive the same effect by clamping the stam to the shim and wriggling them down together, I'll play around with this.

@ Chris? - I think HTFU is probably right. I've retensioned it at least once, but will carry on playing about and see if I can get it to settle.

Try using some threadlock perhaps, should stop the screws working loose over time.

There are some ok discounts on the nokon extension kits (you'll need to buy the inner separately) on probikekit at the moment.

jimmy said you can unravel normal cable and use the inner liner ... i think.

Sorry I meant the steel cable not the thin black tube. It comes with the black stuff and you just need to put any old cable inside it

Yeah, you need the teflon liner for Nokon, otherwise it won't work half as well.

I've had success unravelling the steel coil from regular Shimano outer, and using the teflon lining from that inside Nokon

1: Stanley strip off the black weather seal stuff
2: should be left with the steel coil that is essentially the strength of the outer. Try and bend a piece near where the end is so you can clamp that in a vice.
3: Then carefully, pull on the other end of the outer steel coil, it should unravel around the core, which is a super narrow tube (usually clear/translucent) which is the teflon liner. In Nokon that stuff is usually red or black, most Shimano cables it is clear/translucent.

It's the same stuff afaik! I've only done this in the shop and it was on Nokon gear housing we didn't have enough liner for. We used the teflon from Shimano Brake outer though, as we stock BBB Gear outer and it's pants. The job was for a Mezzo folder, taking into account the complex folding mechanism, means we usually use tandem gear inner cables as regular ones aren't long enough, because of all the bends, the cable has a hard time pulling against regular housing, so we suggested Nokon to the customer as a fit and forget solution, before this he was lubing his cables every week, which for dry commuting just to the station and back, is a bit much!

You can also buy lengths of the black liner separately

trudat, but you'd have to order it and we didn't have the time. I also assume (could be wrong) that it's more expensive than just bastardising Shimano Outer, which is cheap and readily available in every bike shop.

There are some ok discounts on the nokon extension kits (you'll need to buy the inner separately) on probikekit at the moment.

Won't I end up missing some bits though?

They might not come with some of the clear rubber sleeves but some people don't use them anyway. Probably a good idea to look at someone with Nokon and see what bits they used compared to the extension kits. I've ordered a 40cm extension if you want to see exactly what's in there

The clear rubber sleeve is just tubing you can get from a DIY/Gardeners place

But you do want to use it (if you care about your paint job)

I finally got round to fitting my Paul duplex lever (cheers Jono!) tonight and realised it doesn't come with normal barrel adjusters but Jagwire inline ones. I have normal cable housing so I just want the adjusters at the lever but they don't fit into the holes. I could slot the Jagwire cable ends into the adjuster and then into the holes but this is pretty clunky. Am I missing something? Or am I just trying to do the impossible and need to buy the proper barrel adjusters?

Sounds strange^
Should have simple adjusters where cable can fit with ease.

Also jagwire is awesome. If you're running disc I'd recommend it over Nokon.
Also it's best to have no breaks in the housing if possible so might need to reconsider oilers if you have those.

Aren't the new Duplex levers redesigned not to have the barrel adjusters? Thought they redesigned it with the intention of having inline adjusters only so people don't keep breaking them.

Hmn yeah I heard they were doing a new version but thought it would appear more like their love lever rather than a cross top.
Will look into it...

Yup your right. Not into that.

bmx kink linear cables are superhard no so expensive, really good..the volt stocknewington have few