Mechanics and Fixing Any Questions Answered

Thanks for the info, very helpful!

Further reading suggests that there is a lot of speculation on whether the earlier Superbe cranks are ISO/JIS compared to the Superbe pro which are ISO. Im leaning to believe that they are ISO and the Hatta R9400 with 109mm spindle is the most recommended. But then again I'm running a freewheel so I guess I need to measure the chain line and see what would be the best spindle length.

I'm also starting think that the current BB is incorrect as I have had some clicking sounds that only really register on smooth, quiet roads.

Going to have a look at what is currently installed and get the ruler out!

Had a look this morning and it turns out that it had a Campag Centaur Square Taper 111mm BB installed that was full of grit.

Gave it a clean and lube, now running smoothly.

Shimano deore range.

What can I use to replace a bent M6000 (SGS)? M5130, M5120, M6000GS?

Also, can I run a GS if I'm only running a 1x. I think 30t chainring and 42t lowest sprocket on rear.

Shimano compatibility charts say no, as M5130 is Linkglide, and can only be used with the dedicated Linkglide shifter (SL-M5130-R10). Any other Shimano 10 speed MTB mech will work.

Cheers for response. I deleted it and put it in another thread.
I've re-uploaded my edited question though.
So anything M6000 or M5120? What about GS or SGS?

See the "10-speed rear drivetrain [MTB, URBAN (SHIMANO CUES)]" section here:
https://productinfo.shimano.com/#/com?cid=C-432&acid=C-436

For wider range cassettes (42t largest cog), you're probably best off looking for one of the mechs in the top two boxes in that section.

I've remembered I have a voucher for Balfes, and they only seem to have the M6000 in stock. Seeing as that is what is on my bike, I'll just go like for like.
Just interested to know now, if I can run a short cage version on a 11 - 42t sprocket.

1 Attachment

Something got jammed in my wheel and flipped me over the bars. Rack and fork are definitely bent.

I think the frame is ok but can anyone advise on how I can check things in more detail. I can’t see any ripples on the dt or tt and there are no cracks. I’ll also try and check the frame alignment with a ruler and string.

I’m currently in Guatemala and decent shops are few and far between. Sourcing a replacement fork is going to be much easier than a whole frame set.

1 Attachment

Yowch, you ok?

There’s the string around the headtube, back to the dropouts thing but that’s more for alignment along the line of the bike, your damage is more likely to be headtube angle change. You could lay a straight edge along the tubes and see how flat it lies but, and it’s a fairly big but, you’d want to know how flat it lay before the crash because tubes can have a curve before they are even built into a frame.

Health concern ramble

Hello fellow mechanics. Maybe the wrong place to post this (let me know if a thread of this nature already exists), but after spending more time in the workshop recently I've been noticing mild changes in my respiratory health. Most notably a blocked nose (probable sinus infection) that won't budge a couple of times in the last month, but also dry skin in the nose (often feels like I'm alternating between the two extremes).

I work with a lot of old, dirty, dusty bikes. For freeing parts we use aerosol lubricants, strong degreasers and solvents to clean components, and plenty of different greases. All these products come with their own health warnings, often regarding respiratory and irritation risks, which makes a fairly clear case for them being the source of my woes.

The only thing stopping me from accepting that I should take more precaution* when working with bikes, is that I've not witnessed the same happen to any home or pro mechanic I've worked with. Gloves are rarely worn, masks even less so, and the majority of workshops I've seen are pokey and lack proper ventilation. Everyone seems relatively happy walking around in a GT85 fog, licking their grubby fingers after a mid-cassette-change monster munch.

Is everyone fine? Has anyone here experienced similar effects? Does anyone have any anecdotal warnings or insight that might confirm my suspicions? Thanks in advance!

*I will take more precaution, not every body reacts to external factors in the same way.

Small fracture in one of my fingers, slightly bruised ribs and some road rash on my hand - all in all a very lucky escape. I dread to think what could have happened to my face/teeth/collarbone.

Thanks, I’m pretty sure the tubes are as they should be. I’ll find a straight edge tomorrow and see if that shows anything.

Watch those ribs, I wiped out on xmas day running for a bus and I’m still feeling it.

Not much help but I’ve worked in bike shops for 10 years and been shocked by the lack of concern around aerosol use / dust / ventilation and extraction / masks in workshops

Wouldn’t get away with it in a factory or on a building site

One of the cancer doctors at the Christie was very concerned I was going to eat my lunch with my filthy hands and said he treats quite a few old car mechanics.

I say if it’s concerning you then do something about it regardless of what everyone else is doing.

I find the flux I use for brazing with silver burns my nose (and I’ve had a few sinus infections which I attribute to this) so I now wear a respirator when working with it. I don’t think many other people do but I don’t care and my sinuses are thanking me.

Youch. I know that feeling. Had a stick jam in the front mudguard, resulting in 8 stitches on my chin. Heal up soon.

Definitely with you here. There’s no legitimate excuse for it but mechanics as a cohort aren’t organised or savvy enough to demand better, and businesses are happy to let them poison themselves if the timeline is long enough. -even park tool and other manufacturers are guilty of ignoring H&S, with instructional videos showing mechanics using their bare fingers to apply grease (contact dermatitis is a thing).

(Removed rant)

If you’re a fan of fighting sports, you’ll have heard the referee instruct fighters before the match to “protect yourself at all times”. It’s a rule that applies to most other areas of life, and even if it’s someone else’s job to look after your well-being, ultimately it’s up to each of us to protect ourselves first and foremost.

Not sure why any mechanic in their right mind would want aerosol greases around bikes. ‘Banned’ them (by not ordering any) when I was managing a workshop :)

My answer: they’ve never been properly educated on workplace health and safety, and no one stops them from breaking themselves. I’m no longer surprised by the numbers I see of bad backs from awkward work stands, bad knees from bare concrete workshop floors, chronic tendinitis from overworking with improper tools (aka, use the mini multitool to undo everything while the longer Allen keys gather dust)… no doubt there will be more sad stories in a few decades about people getting allergies or worse from daily exposure to chemicals they were told were safe (if it dissolves thick muck off a bike in seconds, it’s probably not something you want on your skin/eyes/lungs).

It shouldn’t be an individual burden to carry, but it is. Hopefully one day it will change.

I hate wearing gloves to work on stuff, but my knees, wrists, hands, lungs and brain are ruined, possibly from work.

Your lufguss game is in top form though 💪

Avid Juicy lever bleed bolt.

Anyone has a new one about? Just fooking drilled and easy out one and not keen to order a pack of 10.

Yeah as I get older I guess I'm thinking about these things more. I was definitely no gloves and greasy finger paninis in my first few years. I notice the effect of everything on my skin and lungs/sinuses these days and I'm certainly not old.
I've switched a few things up recently, very much related to Leshaches post. Knee pads, gloves almost all the time, using the tool with better leverage.

Not sure what to say. It's a fucking weird job. People complain elsewhere and on here about shoddy mechanics but with the prospects of pay and length of time you'll be in the job, it's hard to find "career" mechanics. Lots of people in it for 5 years or less, of course it's hard to organise.