Slowly but Surely

I took the time to completely clean and regrease the internals of the Sachs 3x7 hub today...

Sachs 3x7 hub internals.

If your Sachs hub is gummed up and you want it cleaned up like new, talk to me and maybe I can clean it out for you for a few bucks.  The whole bike is taking shape and I should have another $200 of parts coming my way in the next week or so to start to flesh it out. Exage cranks, 53 tooth chainring, Soma High Rider stem, Kalloy seatpost and collar, Panaracer slick tires, headset spacers...

Rockfish F-1 BMX taking shape.

I picked up a brand new Forte 10 speed carbon derailleur for $35. It looks fly and that's a great deal for what seems to be a well built derailleur. It should index correctly with a 7 speed shifter... and if not, there's always friction shifting.

Forte 10 Speed Carbon Rear Derailleur

Just in time for Halloween

Oh. Em. Gee.










http://www.ebay.com/itm/HANDSADDLE-HAND-COMFORT-SADDLE-SEAT-ANATOMIC-PERFECTION-SELLE-SAN-MARCO-ITALIA-/220884953365?pt=Cycling_Parts_Accessories&hash=item336dc4e915#ht_1000wt_1193

Out. Of. Shape.

Just got in from a 35 mile ride - only my 3rd road ride in three months since moving to Dallas. Too much wrenching and not enough riding these days. However, things at the shop are looking up, and they have some bike-specific tools I can use to get my Rockfish Formula One BMX into shape. So far I've gotten the chance to use the Park FFG-2 dropout alignment tool. I had been contemplating building one out of scraps I have lying around, but sometimes it's easier to use what's already available than rebuild the wheel. However, there are many home-brewed methods to make this tool instead of buying that rarely-used $80 tool. All you need is a 10mm axle, two axle nuts, and a stiff piece of metal with a hole in it for a leverage arm:

A photo & design from Mark @ BikeSmithDesign.com

Pretty ingenious. Then there are those tools that are necessities if you want to do a job correctly. I'm specifically referring to cutting tools. I've already added threads on the fork for the Rockfish, but now I'm planning on using two additional cutting tools while I have access to them at the shop.

CRC-1 headset crown race seat milling tool
&
HTR-1 headtube facer

The CRC-1 is a $400 tool that will allow me to take my 1" fork that is intended for a 27.03 ID crown race and mill it down to accept a 26.43 crown race... that will make it compatible with my new CHRIS KING headset! w00t. If I didn't have access to this tool, then I would take a file to the crown race seat... a laborious and imprecise method. However, the file method will work, and I suggest using a retaining fluid with this method to keep the crown race seated.

The HTR-1 is another $400 tool that will allow me to face the top and bottom surfaces of the head tube in order to make each surface planar and in parallel. Supposedly Chris King headsets require that this is done, and I will be cautious and follow their suggestion as I have already repaired the dented head tube. I cannot think of a way to make a tool that can do this accurately.

Alright, enough of this pro-tool business. These tools are not necessities for the home mechanic, and are rarely used even in the shop.  If you are doing a fresh build or have a damaged frame and need cutting services done, I highly suggest getting them done professionally for personal economic reasons.

Upcoming Goodness

But I don't think I'll be able to make it...

Rear Rack Bike Hack

Made it on another post at Bike Hacks again. This time an anti-theft hack for travelling with bikes on the back of a vehicle.

I go where I'm thread.

Somehow, I think I knew this day would come. I do not believe it was by chance that I purchased a die handle and a 1" 24tpi die off of ebay a few months ago. I used them today to extend threads on my new fork for the Rockfish F-1 BMX.  The fork had 1.5" of threads already cut, but I had to extend them another 1.75" to make it compatible with my head tube. Park Tool's article on thread cutting was really helpful.

Fork prior to cutting more threads. I threaded down into the black painted area.

My awesome die handle.

1" steerer x 24tpi

Thread shavings. Clear these by spinning 1/8 turn backward every 1/2 turn.

First pass, super oiled up. Copious amounts of lube required.

First pass.

Second pass.

Third pass, all clean and all done!

All in all, it probably took me an hour of work and a lot of arm strength. I had to make several passes with the die set at slightly different diameters. During the first pass, the die is set quite open. The die is closed a little with each following pass to cut the threads a little at a time. I used almost all of my chain lube in the process.

The title of this post is a play on a lyric in a Silver Jews song - Pet Politics.