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oh, and I was also wondering if the noise can somehow be interpreted as the chainring / sprocket / chain being 'broken in' and therefore should be endured until it goes away by itself?

all bits are 1/8" btw.

1cm each way (1cm up, 1cm down) or in total (5mm up, 5mm down)?

I heard that 1 - 2 cm each way was the right tension. I tried to be a good boy today and tightened my chain.

However, I am currently at a bit more than 2 cm each way and the chain is making a quite loud clinkety clink noise it didn't before. Yeah, I looked on Sheldon Brown, but the whole adjusting spider thing doesn't apply I guess as I have a Stronglight with no spider/chainring.

How to prioritize? slacker chain minus the noise or accept some noise in exchange for tension?

what do you call this kind of spoke pattern? do you need a special kind of hub for this way of doing stuff or is it a matter of using a different kind of spokes on 'standard' hubs such as miche primato? what are the pro's and con's of this pattern?
looks cool for sure.

Another thing; do you guys have rules of thumb to tell at a glance how 'tracky' a second hand frame is? I personally find it a bit tricky when I see frames without wheels on photos or when I see some half disintegrated thing at a jumble sale.

In order to have the best crank clearance possible the angle between the head tube and chainstays should be as large as possible right? What about the fork angle/position? Large angle of seatstays and chainstays angle means tight rearwheel? Perhaps not? Headtube lenght? Angle of seat tube relative to what exactly? Other things?

For those concerned about the weight I reckon the small U lock at the end of the Fahgettaboudit chain make quite a nifty little solution. Just measured it on my kitchen scales and its 803 grammes.
They don't seem to sell these loose so it's only available to those bothered to buy the whole chain. Bikesyoulike.co.uk sell this thing though, but doesn't give size and I 'm not sure of the security level of that vs. the yellow ones.

... my ideal combination? the Kryptonite Evolution Mini and Fahgettaboutit Mini, the Evolution Mini for locking bike in board daylight/under 1 hour, the Fah for dusk/over 1 hours.... Evo Mini to lock front wheel, and Fah to lock frame and rear wheel to whatever thing that's sticking out of the ground ...

Bought a Kryptonite Evo Mini just now. After edscoble's persistent advice.

From before I've got the big Fahgettaboudit chain and padlock. Bought it in an emotional moment after a bike I had got stolen. Lock is worth probably double of the bike in question though.

superglue or threadlock on a bearing about 0.01p

True, glue's good, but like Dammit says magnets can go on any part of the bike. Personally I don't like the idea of messing around with glue on my brake lever for example.

OK, so a quid gets me both the magnet and a thing to remove it? If so:

1. mashton
   
2. dovoneil (10 please)
   
3. Dammit
   
4. illy
   
5. Brogue Boy
   
6. Starfish and Coffee (2 please)
   

Any better?
The names not selling it to me.

Or the contents: "with sodd balls and sodd meat". poor sodds.

Actually yeah, if I remember correctly this one is slightly better. It's got clear stock I think. It's the brown sauce in 'lapskaus' I can't hack.

uuuugh... hate that stuff...

.. requires a cable stop that's either attached to the frame or the headset; unless you know that, ignore me.

nope I didn't, so I really appreciate your help :-)
I googled 'brake stop' and found all kinds of rubbish, so I'm none the wiser. is it the thing that the brake cable goes trough to get a straight line from headset to brake? hmm... haven't got one of those on my current frame. are they hard to get hold of?

oh, and feeling like recommending me a brake lever while we are at it? and where to buy it? online or east/central london.

Would I be OK to reuse the old-ish Landar brake I have obtained from an old English bicycle? It exactly covers the 65mm drop I have. The brake has no rust on it and the mechanism feels nice and springy. It might be a bit um hard to squeeze together, but then again I have no idea how hard it's meant to be really.

The alternative as I see it would be to buy something like this. But it feels wrong to spend 20 quid on what appears to me to be pretty much the exact same thing as what I have already. Oh, and either way I am stuck being dependent on a fairly rare kind of brake pad right? Anyone knows a way round this?

Anyone feel like recommending a new brake lever while we are at it? Budget price is key here...

Even a cheap carbolite 103 one is reasonably light once you change it to a fixed wheel bicycle, just find one in decent condition, if it reynolds material, bonus point.

What's the typical eBay price for these? I.e. how much should us newbie's be prepared to spend should we come across one?

Sometimes I reckon this forum has too many nay sayers.

This is fucking hilarious!

Yep, that's the spirit. Balki's got it right I'd say.

body odour on public transport. lots of it.

... Yeah, it doesn't feel as smooth as the campy BB I had in it before ...

in what way smooth? you mean the way the pedals spin or is there an issue with how it fits in the frame?

thanks, but it's not about coldsetting the thing. it's definitely the right width that way.

yeah measured it just now. it's pretty much 9mm or perhaps only a minuscule amount less. I tried with a bit of force and the threading just started getting damaged. using force is bad no?

yeah, file it a bit perhaps? just thinking I could make matters worse....

Vintage Carlton frame VS. lovely new Zenith hubs.

As the picture hopefully shows I've just found out that the axle of my new hubs cannot be easily fitted into the drops of my vintage frame. Same problem on the rear. I presume the workaround is to use some sort of tool and widen the drops. However, if I go ahead just trying to widen them without seeking advice I will almost certainly fuck things up by failing to make the drops exactly equal on each side hence making the wheel position slightly out of line. I haven't at this point tried to force them in, if I do they might just fit but the thread will be ruined for sure.

So dear experienced forum members, is there a know and valued work around for this? Searching the forum I found no direct information but some reference to drilling (?) out drops on vintage bikes to make them deeper. How? With what tools? How to avoid fucking it up?

huh? how do you fit the seatpost in that thing? if I understand the photos correctly there is no bolt or screw or anything? not looking to buy it but just curious.

do it in the street outside your flat.

I might do that you know...

If I go real hardcore I can just follow the Hammerite advice in the thread above, no primer etc needed. The user guideline says minimum 15 min between each coat and 4 coats suggested as appropriate. That means the job's done in 1 - 2 hours max? Yeah, I think I will. Since I'm being such a cheapskate I guess I'll at least make up for it by sanding it properly first.

Sandblasting can be done later if I reckon the frame is worth it.

Time to hijack a thread again, I'm afraid.

Anyone know of a decent place I can respray my bike in the Shoreditch/Hackney area? I don't mean a professional sprayer, I intend rattlecan the thing myself and just need a site for the job. I have read all the arguments against DIY spraying, but it's a budget decision and I need something to sort out the rust asap and I'm prepared to acccept a dodgy finish for now.

Yeah, I know the question is a bit daft, but I live in a flat so I can't do it at home. I am just wondering if anyone can suggest respraying it in a community workshop somewhere or perhaps anyone know of a workshop, garage or quiet back yard they'd let me use? I don't intend to do the full procedure of 30 odd coates or whatever.

Wot? No list for brakes? Because they are uncool or something?
Shame because I've learned tons from the lists so far, would like to learn a bit more about brakes now. The forum discussions always helps loads.

I'd have bought the Selle seat if it was white...

from the classic lightweights site:

OK, am I right in guessing the owner has kept the original cottered cranks? Possibly the chainring and BB too?
I am wondering about the pro's and con's of this. I've heard that keeping an old chainset increases the chance of the chain coming off.

Anyone know of any good deals going for tyres + inntertubes + rim tape? Couldn't find any on Wiggle.
After great advice from you guys I am partial to Vittoria Rubinos.

might seem an obvioius point, but consider the width of the wheels as well.
frame ought to be 100mm front and 120 mm rear, saves you blundering around like I did a while ago. (newbie mistake that was)