Lucky number 13

I've pm'd you about the other bits btw

re fork offset, I don't think it will really matter much. I couldn't tell you what offset I run on my dh bike without going to look...

Sick water bottle!

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Do you put the upper crown directly on the bearing top cap or is it better to put a spacer between the top cap and the crown?

Either or but I’d always have at least one 5mm spacer under it.

Don’t cut the steerer tube really short. Putting spacers under or on top the the crown is to let you adjust the bar height.

Leave 20mm or so extra steerer sticking out top. Then you can figure out if you prefer a low or higher bar height.

Leaving the steerer longer maximises it’s future compatibility with other frames with a longer head tube.

This is what mine looks like.
You can add spacers under the stem to increase the bar height but you usually need longer bolts etc.

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Thanks- I’ll put a spacer underneath and I’ll keep the steerer uncut for a while to see where I want things.

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I’ve abandoned trying to get a response from Williams Racing Products about my Centre Hub order, going to buy a second hand one off Pinkbike and see if I can cancel my order with WRP.

In Cairns as of last night, and some food for thought.

A stem bolt for my Enduro bike has vanished, and the front tyre, which held air when it went in the bag no longer does so, both of which are potentially a show stopper. Indeed, are a show stopper without the local bike shops assistance.

Which means that I need to work out how to bring some spares with me, and a better pump- which is challenging given the weight issue. I cycled to the bike shop this morning, stopping every 3-5 minutes to pump up the tyre with my mini road pump.

Doing that on a DH bike is going to be an awful experience- so! I need to be able to fix more on my own/in the hotel.

Doesn’t particularly belong in here, but the brakes will be the same as on my Enduro bike so:

Trying to precisely adjust calliper and pad placement when your tools are a table knife and a T25 multi tool bit is non-trivial. I’ve made the executive decision to live with a bit of pad drag for now.

Doesn't the trick of loosening the bolts, pulling the brake and pinching them back up not work?

No, sadly not. I think if the disc was much stiffer than it is then maybe it would, but the calliper bends the disc to suit it rather than the disc centring the calliper on its mounts.

If that's the case, you should unscrew the caliper bolts even more. The caliper has to be able to move freely with this procedure.

The quickest way to solve issues with a tubeless setup in case you don't have the correct tools nearby, is the use of an inner tube.

I'd probably get something like this for the tool requirement in the hotel to setup the bike and make sure to bring a proper multitool whilst out riding.

https://products.wera.de/en/tools_by_trade_tool_sets_for_bicycles_and_e-bikes_bicycle_set_torque_1.html

I’ll give this a whirl, however bear in mind I have four pistons and four brake pads per calliper, two on either side of the disc.

My usual method of getting these to be silent and drag free involves having the bike in a stand, me sat on a convenient stool, a torch held so it’s light shines through the calliper toward me, and a small screwdriver to nudge the individual pistons left and right after I’ve centred the calliper on the disc with no pads in place.

Bike upside down on the apartment floor, lamp from the bedside table on the floor in front of it and using a kitchen knife as my adjustment tool has probably predictable performance implications compared to my normal methods.

I’ve got the Silca torque tool set, I just didn’t bring it with me, lesson learnt.

The tyre issue was fixed by adding sealant and using a low pressure/high volume pump, instead of my mini-Impero.

In future I’ll top up the sealant before travelling, and buy a mountain bike pump to put in my bag - recommendations for a low pressure/high volume mini pump with a gauge very welcome.

In terms of inner tube - they don’t play well with inserts, so I’ve got tyre darts instead.

Ah didn't know you're running inserts.

Darts work well in case of puncture. My usual issue with tubeless is getting it set into the bead of the rim correctly.

I have the Silca torque tool set as well, lovely bit of kit but I'm not sure how precise it is exactly compared to a more traditional torque wrench.

In case of the brakes, in that setup it's even more important to make sure the caliper can move freely.

I've never had to manipulate the position of the brake pads when setting up brakes but I centre the caliper with the pads installed.

Basically, I loosen up the caliper bolts so it can move freely. Pull brake lever firmly and make sure it's the caliper moves into position without affecting the rotor. Keep pulling the brake lever whilst tightening the caliper bolts.

In case it's still rubbing, it's worth making sure the caliper mounts are flush and faced correctly.

I think one of the issues I have is that the calliper moves sideways, visibly, when you cinch the bolt up the final touch. Which buggers everything.

Maybe greasing under the heads of the bolts would resolve this. One for when I get home.

I found these very useful when centering brake calipers

https://www.birzman.com/products_2.php?uID=2&cID=4&Key=133

They make this one for even the largest calipers

https://www.birzman.com/products_2.php?uID=2&cID=4&Key=350

I did buy one of those a while ago and found the calliper still shifted sideways when you torqued the bolt up.

Again, maybe greasing the head of the bolt would fix this.

the 13th anniversary of getting off the sauce

Sorry for my lack of language competence but what does sauce mean in this context?

Lovely proportioned rig you got there!

Sauce is British slang for alcohol - apologies, using idiomatic expressions is often exclusionary.

7 speed.

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Slowly progressing this, put the BB in by hand and then had to order the 12 notch tool to tighten it.

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