Steaming Surly Rollergeddon

Haven't opened a freewheel for years, more of a car park at a race emergency thing with rocks and allen keys to drift them open.

Got right into the freewheels, the Dicta loosened up real quick, shot up the Shimano as well, might as well.......... still got loads left, way easier than full surgery of pulling a freewheel apart.

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Fella called Lance, picture of a needle. Checks out.

EPO soaked freewheels are running smooth this morning, now it's soaked right through into the pawls :)

Last nights task.
make a random assortment of reflectors and lights attach to the rear of the rack. Also need to line the rack base so it becomes part mudguard.
The rack I had on the FXE did this, but it fitted and was set up so sold on with the FXE.
Found out that guards on horizontal dropouts are a ballache if you need to remove the wheel, so make the rack part of the guard.

CRC tracking is off whack, stuffs might arrive this morning, I really don't know.

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Any pictures of the finished setup?

Later on for a piccy.
Not very exciting, managed to get a light clipped and zip-tied to the rack and dismantled a reflector that fitted the bolt hole so fitted straight onto the plate at the rear of the rack.
I had lights clipped to the bungee cord last time and it sort of worked.
Having one light fixed to bike and try and clip something else on higher up.
This rack is height adjustable so trying to run as low as possible, should all make sense when i try it all out with my work bag fitted.

CRC parcel is out there somewhere......... not going to smash my best time of having it within 22.5 hours of ordering it :)
SJS sent an invoice 5hours 5mins after CRC had dispatched, reckon weekend for SJS maybe today, most likely tomorrow for CRC.

Weird science at play, and it's early and I am not drunk.
Haven't got on with the kryptonite lock carrier, and carrying the lock on the rack bumps up the height of my bag (more of a problem on the FXE rack)
Attempting to make a drop in holster attached to the side of the rack for the Krypto.
Might not work :)

also quite certain Kelly Le Brock isn't going to explode out of the bathroom....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jm-upHSP9KU

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Had a dispatch notice from SJS so both packages in play, CRC are a day ahead but it's not here yet.
Might get lucky and get both together as both coming via Royal Mail.

You can tell I grew up watching Blue Peter.
One 5ltr screen wash bottle and a bag of zip ties = 1x D-lock rack holster :)

This might turn out to be crap, but in the spirit of many forum build threads....... let's just bolt that sucka on (or zip tie in my case)

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One for the hacks and bodges thread.

See if it works first.
There are other more elegant bodges, but i lack the materials.

And CRC win.
I was expecting the chains to be in plastic bags, so nice to get them in full blue retail packets.
The dinky femto blinky lights are way brighter than I expected.

And a quick weigh up in the kitchen puts the old Conti knobby cx's at 435g, the 28mm Clements are around 250g, the 28mm Delta cruisers I was using topped out around 500g and the folding 35mm conti speeds come in at 339/347g.

Time to fit some bits.

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Balls, was hoping to go for a quick spin.

Chain was fine with 28mm tyres and swapping between 15/16/18t sprockets, expected this, but not as tight. Too muddy to try with HHSB rizla like clearances, should have a spare longer chain knocking about, was going to use that to fit rear mudguard anyway.
take everything off and start with looking for the spare chain (before I chop into a new one) :)

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Pop in a second quick link? Then you can revert to previous sprocket combo as and when you please

sorted.
found spare cut down but longer chain 8spd, then had to find quick link as everything else is 9spd.
should actually do for running a guard, had to re-adjust rear brake pads for new wheel position.
the shorter chain will get cleaned and stashed away with the 28mm tyres.

Very very unfit is the nt hing I have learnt this week.

Sooo, first impressions, 18t was a good move.
Tyres are quiet on tarmac and roll well, did them at 60psi.
On flat muddy field seemed to work well, really didn't like wet manhole covers mid corner or catching the flattened metal fence, slips on wet metal is expected.
Didn't seem to take much effort to get rolling and up to speed, could be the 18t sprocket change.

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If I was daft enough to enter a CX race....... things I have learnt.
1) might come DFL or just DNF
2)really want to slip a 22t sprocket in the back (knee saving)
3)really really wants to be in summer with no chance of mud, because you know, sometimes DBAD is a bit shit, or maybe taking a caliper braked semi-track Blike off roading is a bit shit. :)
4) it would involve puking at some point.

5) off camber mud criss crossed with thorns/brambles as per the photo was beyond the limits of the tyres (to be expected)
Did find an ASDA trolley further up, nearest ASDA is about 2 miles away, how do these things migrate into strange places ?

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Bit of clogging and collecting crap

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Non shall PASS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhRUe-gz690

No black Knight to worry about.

Glad I went through the gateway as the damaged fence to right still has a wire across the gap that I wouldn't have seen until too late.
These Speed tyes do 2 wheel drifting well :)

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Did I mention it's effing cold out there.

Found what looked like snake tracks in the mud :) not being in Straya I didn't worry about possible wildlife killing and eating me.

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Someone painting a bike that is in a good state makes my blood boil, read on and had a laugh and now all is OK.

Post ride.
All those brambles earlier on, think I may have ridden over one.
Was nearly home, about a minute with the mini pump and was able to limp back to tarmac and get home.
Will look later and see if pinch flat (unlikely) or thorn........ was a new tube as well :(
Different front mudguard, this one had less coverage than the black Crud one, but didn't interfere with wheel overlap.

Could run larger tyres if dry, limiting factor is caliper clearance. If having to cope with a muddy commute dropping down to 30-33mm size cx tyres would be good.
Are SteamRollers still classed as Track legal ?
Bit of a swiss army knife, can do many things but better tools are available.

Going to rig up for commuting duty now, but if needed I can do weird shit with it for fun :)

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Oh dear Thrust is a puppy slayer* at work somewhere....

*old forum terminolgy in regard to people taking a really nice bike or classic and doing things to them

Those tiny bastard little thorn punctures. Got to be the number one reason I went tubeless.

It's redwine-o-clock off to tescos for some vin and something for tea.

Then drunk spanner time for Rollins :)

Bit more tonight, and maybe have SJS package in the morning.

Bit of Rollins/Black Flag
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gpbDEWEPtM

Not convinced on tubeless at all.
Worst case you rip a side wall, you still need a tube.
Coming from the world of DH racing, the pro's would run tubeless tyres to keep sponsors happy, most would actually run a tube in the tyre as "burping" could drop pressure enough to rip off a tyre off mid race run.

Gone full CSI, never go full CSI,
wait wrong movie quote to tv series........ :)

Single pin prick to tube near valve. After a full check inside the tyre, no poke throughs. After a full check on the tread, pulled 2 thorns that never went through to tube.
Quite happy that Rollins real life commute won't involve riding off camber mud banks covered with brambles, a single stick on patch and tube has been inflated for hours.
Happy with tyres :)

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Had a royal mail email 2hours ago (no text message like i got with crc) package on route.
Only want the P-clips...... maybe, the rest of the pack is a second project.

Best fall out of bed and wait for postie.
And faff around with mudguards, and see if front tyre still has air in it :)