Category: Maintenance

  • Almost ready to ride

    Almost ready to ride

    After last weekend’s failure to get the rear tire mounted, which resulted in the shredding of the rim logo, I had a break to rest and think about next steps. I’ve seen some mention of the Tyre Glider recently, and after watching a video demonstration, decided to give it a try. I had to first…

  • Jumping Through Hoops

    Jumping Through Hoops

    I’ve been holding off on some much-needed maintenance on Kuroko while I completed Hornsby. At last I can get started on this project, aided by the fact it’s too hot to ride. The following are all slated for replacement, more or less in order of urgency: I’ve known the brakes (front in particular) have been…

  • Almost Satisfied

    Almost Satisfied

    The plan next Saturday is to have a guest join for a ride on a completely new route. I’ve had some outstanding maintenance issues for Dionysus, and since that’s what the guest will be riding, today was the chance to address those. The cogs have been a bit noisy since I replaced the original chain…

  • Saddle No. 5

    Saddle No. 5

    I wanted to install the new saddle and seatpost before today’s ride. I set the bits out on the table last night, and then got started this morning before 8, when it was just 6C in the Workshop in the Sky. Replacing the saddle and seatpost was straightforward. Of course I weighed the old and…

  • Through with Brooks*

    Through with Brooks*

    I mentioned at the end of the Koedo Matsuri post that there was a mechanical I wasn’t ready to talk about. I’ve just sorted that out in anticipation that tomorrow’s weather might allow a ride. My Brooks saddle had been squeaking ever since it came back from the repair, when I had the broken shackle…

  • Anticlimactic

    Anticlimactic

    My jaunt up Takaosan earlier this week confirmed that Kuroko’s spiffy dynamo lights are working, so it’s time to bring the Forking Dynamite project to a close. I’ve had a couple of finishing touches waiting in the wings — for more than a year in at least one case — and today was the perfect…

  • Fighting water with … water

    Fighting water with … water

    Following last weekend’s very wet but ultimately enjoyable Tour de Chiba, Kuroko was overdue for a washing. And I needed to deal with the mildew on the saddle, which I’ve left languishing in the bike parking garage for a week now. The first order of business was simply to give the entire bike a good…

  • Claustrophobic

    Claustrophobic

    In just 48 hours I’ll be boarding a plane to fly to the start of the next adventure. Following my last jaunt up the Edogawa, I had a short list of maintenance items I wanted to address, and then it would be time to pack up Kuroko for the trip. The Edogawa ride was largely…

  • Temporary Addition

    Temporary Addition

    This is just until I get the dynamo set-up sorted out. But I’ve got a big ride before that. I’ve had the light sitting in a drawer for at least two years. It still has a charge.