Bike maintenance for dummies.

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Feb 2015
9:19am, 17 Feb 2015
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jacdaw
I was thinking that I should replace the hanger too, but maybe the only way I can do that is to buy a new frame?

And yes, I'm afraid it is 5 years old, so no warranty.

I'm sure the bolt is designed to fail; it appears to be a nice lump of stainless, but at the core where it has broken it looks like a cheap nasty casting. Unless the whole thing is made of beautifully chromed cheese.

Looks like I'll be back on the old steel Orbit for a while.

Thanks.
Feb 2015
10:09am, 17 Feb 2015
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Stepford Wife
Hang on, what is the frame made of? If it's aluminium there will be a replaceable hanger. If it's steel it can be bent back to position.

If you've had the thing five years that's really nothing to complain about. Stuff wears and all things will break eventually.
Feb 2015
10:36am, 17 Feb 2015
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Winded
If you record all of your mileage on Fetch then 5years or not it is odd for this part to fail.

If you think that it has failed because it is faulty as opposed to any other reason then an email to campag with photos telling them of your surprise when you saw it was substandard may get a decent response (may not too). Having said that bumps and crashes and storage issues combined with age could easily make it fail - early but not so early that it is substandard. It is difficult to be precise; remember these things are built to trade off reliability & weight. I probably wouldn't bother, this is a £50 part that would be expected to wear out eventually anyway.

I'd just buy a new one and keep the old for spares. Advice to check the hanger is good, you can do it by eye or your LBS might have a tool to check it.

As an aside almost all bolts are stock sizes for something. Bike shops and campag might not sell them but your local hardware/ engineering place(not B&Q!) might sell you something to fit for a couple of quid- probably steel so it would weigh a bit more. If you can be bothered to schlep down there you might be pleasantly surprised. I'd just buy a new one though.
Feb 2015
10:41am, 17 Feb 2015
1,278 posts
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jacdaw
Sorry, I was being ironic... I have to replace the mech if a bolt breaks, so do I need to replace the frame because the hanger is bent.

Frame is Alu, and does have a replaceable hanger.

I don't mind stuff wearing out, I resent the mindset that says if a bolt breaks, the entire component must be replaced. And as a corollary, if you need to use a bolt, just use a standard bolt!

Sorry, I'm just old.

And my steel Orbit is a 1990 model (with Shimano RX100!), and only the obvious consumables have been replaced, so clearly things don't have to wear out.
Feb 2015
10:50am, 17 Feb 2015
18,355 posts
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Stepford Wife
Standards in the bike industry? Are you fucking kidding? If they can make something custom they will.
Feb 2015
11:17am, 17 Feb 2015
1,279 posts
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jacdaw
Not entirely kidding, but aware that I am banging my head against a wall...

If I had a few basic engineering skills I'd rather buy a lathe and make the f*****g bolt than pay £50 for a part I don't need.

I'm going away to sulk now.
Feb 2015
5:39pm, 17 Feb 2015
19,812 posts
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eL Bee!
jacdaw - you're thinking about this all wrong.

Getting a new mech isn't a part you don't need - it's lots of spares for the bit you *do* have ;)
Feb 2015
4:03pm, 18 Feb 2015
1,650 posts
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Angel Wings
I've asked this elsewhere but it really is a bike beginners question so thought I would ask here as well - thank you:

I have a sportif on Saturday, weather looks to be wet Friday but mainly dry Saturday. I have continental gatorskins on my roadbike, not many miles done on them and in good condition (the tyres that is, not me).

I'm fairly slow so tyres for speed are not needed :) Just want to ask if they should be ok for this sort of road event please? Or do I need to change them?

Thanks :)
Feb 2015
4:25pm, 18 Feb 2015
18,357 posts
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Stepford Wife
They are fine. Absolutely fine. :-)
Feb 2015
4:47pm, 18 Feb 2015
1,651 posts
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Angel Wings
Thank you! Appreciate your reply :)

About This Thread

Maintained by DeeGee
A thread for your questions about fixing common bike problems.

Need help naming a part? jimlangley.net

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