Today's Bike Ride

[PaulE]

If you need anything from rgh, let me know bymessage as I work round the corner and can call in to check stock on ny my lunch break...

[mr brightside]

For new old stock, try RGH Cycles, 1, School Road, Wales, Sheffield S26 5QG - 01909 770397. They used to be good for old Mavic, Campag & Shimano parts.
Better to disturb a factory assembly & re-build carefully than to wait until things go wrong and you find that the bearing surfaces are goosed - it's called preventive maintenance. From experience, the secret to rebuilding ball bearing hubs is to have pukka cone spanners - I'm currently using ParkTool - and don't overtighten at the first pass, go incrementally. Treat yourself to the Haynes "The Bike Book" Complete Bicycle Maintenance.
I've yet to do the Ultegra 6700 hubs - only 10 months old. I have stripped and rebuilt the stx-rc hubs on the crosser countless times ( Finish Line, Ceramically Enhanced Grease ) and it will out-freewheel all the other bikes on our group rides.
The weight weeny thing can get a bit stupid. Lightweight/disposable is ok if you are a serious competition cyclist chasing titles; even more so if you are "sponsored" with a support car in attendance and get your kit replaced for free. Most on here are runners using the bike for cross-training; reliability is the watchword, rather than being a poseur and trying to look like a TdF wannabe. Last thing I would want is to have some (overly) lightweight component fail whilst over in Wensleydale (say) and have to get myself home to Lancaster.

Are Ultegra bearings caged or loose?

[mr brightside]

If you need anything from rgh, let me know bymessage as I work round the corner and can call in to check stock on ny my lunch break...

Cheers PaulE, LBS are calling be back tommorrow re. whether Hope will do an RS Mono with a steel freehub body.

[wheezing donkey]

Are Ultegra bearings caged or loose?

All Shimano items are supposed to use "loose" ball bearings - hence adjusting with cones. I read somewhere that the company has an inherent distrust of caged races?

[vespa]

here comes the feb winds 1 metre forward 2 back great fun cant wait for the snow knobbly,s at the ready 30 mile second half of this was into head wind i thought the only time you stayed in same position on a bike was in the gym 100 mile so far this will be climbing to 140 in 2 days will be looking 300 mile for the week after talking with a few people last year about training for ultras i took a few pointers from there training

[vespa]

300 mile in 5 days just scared the cr-p out of the PT in gym did the turbo for an hour but it was down to speed that got to them

[mr brightside]

Cheers PaulE, LBS are calling be back tommorrow re. whether Hope will do an RS Mono with a steel freehub body.

No phonecall, my LBS are officially in the dickhead lounge.

[wheezing donkey]

I've been googling, but can't find an answer.
Ready for BST in 3 weeks time, I've started to assemble the good road bike and I've treated it to a new Hope A-headset (FSA Orbit had become "gritty"). The Hope comes with 3x 0.4mm spacer shims; but they do not say how to determine how many of these shims are actually needed?
The only advice on their bumph is "....use up to 3 of the spacer shims....."

Anyone had experience of doing this job, please?

Ian Roberts.

[mr brightside]

Decided to go mental and have a steady 20mls on the little ring yesterday, it was a nice day after all. My knee is killing me.

The Wharfe View was a simply riotous cacophony of carbon and black matt paint when i got there, i felt like an outsider as i pulled up with my 853 and my quietly ticking freehub.

[Derby Tup]

Steel is real