After weeks of waiting, I finally fix up bluebell #cycling

For this I needed a new crank puller (a.k.a. extractor, Park Tool CCP-22):
And a new crankset (unbranded):
The crankset was recommended as the current replacement by SJS. Replacing the chainrings with the single chainring I already had on the old crankset.
The crank puller seems OK, though I don’t rate it above my last one, maybe equal to it. Anyway it worked twice which is all I needed. Important is to always remember to grease both threads and the tip of it, since the tip will be grinding against metal.
Here’s one side done, baby started crying that was all I managed that evening:
It’s also worth noting that I grease the bottom bracket axle before putting the new crank on, grease the crank bolt and give it a good tighten if you want it to remain in place. Greasing the axle is meant to decrease the corrosion that can happen between the steel axle and the alloy crank. Similarly greasing pedal threads is a must, which i forgot last time, hence the beginning of the problems I had. There are those that disagree which bits to grease, I sometimes change my mind, but I’ve had more problems by not greasing than by greasing.
After removing the RHS crank I need to swap the chainrings from new to old:
He’s the finished result:

The hawk eyed reader will note that my chainring is not reversible and is getting on in age (miles), when the teeth are like razor blades I’ll swap it, a derailleur setup would need this replacing already, my chain is 1% worn according to my chain wear indicator, I’ll replace that at nearer 2% probably, again derailleur owners would need to replace now.
The finished RHS:
While I was shopping for the above I also bought a saddle, Maddison Prime:
Here’s it fitted, note the road profile of it and the fancy ruler for elite setup:
I just stick it in the middle, angle the nose up a tiny fraction and that’s fine. Maybe I’ll fiddle with it in future, but I tend not to notice much difference. It’s definitely harder than my last saddle, but doesn’t seem to bother me yet as my cycling distances are tiny now I work closer to home and have a baby that takes up my cycling time.
That was that for that night, the next evening I did an oil change and tightened my mudguard bolts (Surrey roads rattle them loose). Next morning I’m all set for commuting again:

What a lovely steel machine she is.

Lowlights for a change #cycling

This week started with a broken saddle:

I replaced it and wanted to swap to better pedals too, turns out the old crankset I recently fitted is past it because the threads are corroded and stripping away.
So I’m now riding Rudy while I decide what crankset to buy… square taper 110 BCD 5 arm 170mm triple Thorn branded crankset was what I had before, but shimano hollotech has been recommended as a reasonably priced set, the downside is that I’ll need to buy another tool, it won’t be interchangeable with my other bikes, etc. It is worth pointing out that trying to read specs and compare crankset / chainsets is difficult because they often quote random mm measurements and not always the ones your looking for.

Today’s ride ended badly, half a mile from home (after the big hill) the police had blocked the road, I had to then go back over the hill and in a 5 mile loop to get home. I could barely walk when I got home. Numb bum to say the least. Sooo painful, I clearly don’t use those muscles and now can’t bend or sit down. Other than that I enjoyed Rudy and the chilled out ride. The local girls / teens in the park shouted “cool bike”, so there we are, Rudy is cool, even if I am not. Oh and my mudguard is loose, mirror is split and not long left on this earth and heaps more going wrong and we’re not even half way through.

How not to remove the crankset from your bike #cycling

Mistakes are easy and knowing issues and trying to use them to your advantage isn’t a good idea either.

The mistake

I forgot to grease my pedal threads when I last put pedals on bluebell. This plus steel, aluminium and salt water (two winters worth) meant the pedals are welded on. The Internet says heating the cranks will break the seal, but it might damage the threads. Seems like I’m unlikely to fix them, but I thought I’d take them off and try.

The misuse of known issues

For the same reason as above, it’s advisable to grease the bottom bracket spindle else getting cranks off can be tricky. I initially had a problem with the left crank coming loose, so, I thought I’d clean off the grease in a hope it would bind on better. The real solution would have been to put more force on tightening the crank bolts. Anyway, as a result, the blasted crank wouldn’t come off.

Where it all went wrong

Having the tools for a job is all good and well, but sometimes one can overdo it, put too much force on something and watch your dreams shatter in front of you. What did I break?
The crank puller / removal tool, not only that, I also destroyed (stripped) the thread on the crank, thus destroying chances of removing it.

The plan to fix it

I figured the crankset was done for, so remove the crank somehow, replace crankset with a recently acquired crankset (that was being thrown away) put on other used spare pedals I had lying around (boxes of junk), didn’t even steal then from one of my other bikes!

Step 1

Hacksaw, not much room for it, a bit nervous about the frame, but got a chunk off….

Still unresponsive to my hammer, wiggling etc.

Step 2

Drill plus HSS drill bits, started small (nervous) then once through up sized the drill bit to cut through. Great care was taken not to drill the steel spindle. Of course steel is harder than aluminium, but being careful was key (since I hadn’t been earlier). This worked a treat, wedging a claw hammer in the gap broke the seal and freed the crank. He’s the crank and the sheared off crank removal tool:

A closeup on the crank:

Phew, glad it’s over with.

The lessons

• Grease it up
• Forcing it will only break it
• Keep boxes of junk lying around just in case

Of course I would recommend that most people don’t do this, take it to a bike shop and get their help.

Bluebell is up and running and a crank removal tool is on the shopping list.

Introducing Rudy the RANS Fusion ST with a Rohloff Speedhub #cycling

Meet Rudy:

Named after the dinosaur in Ice Age 3.
You will notice he is a crank forward style bicycle which makes you feel a bit gangster as you cruise along. Rudy is a RANS Fusion ST (step through), the RANS Cruz is very similar, but has curved tubing. Rather than the normal derailleur gears, he’s kitted out with a mint condition Rohloff Speedhub. I’ve written about my other Rohloff before, that one is old and well used, this one is barely used, newer (hence lower friction seals) and is a fancy red colour. I bought Rudy as a complete bike second hand (but barely used) and I made a couple of changes, but nothing massive.

Introductions over, let’s go through some of the issues he had.

Notice anything wrong here?

Yes, the blocks are on the wrong sides
But that is not all, notice anything here?


Yes, the pads were for different blocks and didn’t fit properly on one side. Closer inspection and the left and right are different, might be a manufacturer trying to prevent generic inserts being used as replacements


Anyway, I swapped them for a different set and all is well


Notice the bit of gaffer tape on the rim, I use that to toe-in my pads if I’m not feeling dexterous or i’m not having much luck at the time.
The second one shows Rudy is covered in road filth already – from the first test ride – mudguards are on the shopping list.

Next one, notice anything wrong?

Yes, apart from the colour of the pedal, it is on the wrong side, which leads to the pedals loosening as you ride and eventually falling off. Why’s that? Check this

Yep, they are a LHS crankset! Doh!

The fitted chain tensioner (required because of length of chain and no eccentric bottom bracket) was rubbish, fortunately I had a decent one i picked up second hand from eBay a while back, so I fitted that

It’s far better and meant I could fit a standard triple chainring and manually choose a chainring (should I want to)

Those are 152mm cranks so my midget wife can comfortably spin without hurting her knees.
All this of course meant I needed to extend the chain slightly

Can you spot the shiny new KMC X8 quick links joining it? I hope there will be enough chain remaining for the donor chain to fit Bluebell, hopefully nothing wasted. Worth mentioning, I like KMC chains, though the quick links are anything but unless you use a pair of pliers.

That’s it pretty much, a few other accessories fitted and I was cruising in style (or as close to it as I get).

I’ve since tweaked a few more things, snapped the mirror off, fitted a new one, etc. The wife took a quick test ride today and the summary of her thoughts:

• seat is comfortable
• both feet can touch the floor at once
• knees aren’t too high, so no knee strain
• gears change without fuss
• great gear range and very low bottom gear
• no pressure / strain on hands, wrists or shoulders
• it’s cool and different
• I didn’t feel as stupid as I thought I might
• I try not to think about how much it cost