Pedal Power Thread

There's nothing to stop you swapping parts around, so you could move the longer nut across from old to new spindle.

Out of interest, is this QR or just an old food-grade nut & bolt job?
 
ancient_mariner said:
There's nothing to stop you swapping parts around, so you could move the longer nut across from old to new spindle.

Out of interest, is this QR or just an old food-grade nut & bolt job?
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Thanks, problem is I can’t get the old nuts off, they’re stuck more than tight.
This is a QR spindle.
 
wibbly said:
Thanks, problem is I can’t get the old nuts off, they’re stuck more than tight.
This is a QR spindle.
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OK, plus gas penetrating oil might help. Can you file a flat on both sides of the axle to clamp it in a vice and then use that along with a decent quality cone wrench to first tighten, then loosen the cone locking nut? Another thing you could do is hacksaw or angle-grinder through the cone in order to free the locking nut & spacer.
 
mikew said:
Let us know how you get on
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Will do. There's a UK seller of kits called Woosh bikes that are frequently recommended for their support but they sold out of kits days before I went to order.
Instead I ordered from Pswpower which have a mixed reputation, but with payment going through PayPal I have some backup if needed. Also saved over £150 with the kit costing just under £600 with a 14.5ah Samsung battery.
 
ancient_mariner said:
OK, plus gas penetrating oil might help. Can you file a flat on both sides of the axle to clamp it in a vice and then use that along with a decent quality cone wrench to first tighten, then loosen the cone locking nut? Another thing you could do is hacksaw or angle-grinder through the cone in order to free the locking nut & spacer.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the ideas.

I’ve got a mate of mine with a garage so will have to pop in and see if he can apply a bit of pressure somehow to get them off.
 
Fuji Dave said:
My Apollo Slant MTB just delivered :banana:
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Enjoy, we were at work until 2 am this morning, and I decided to cycle in today, we had 40 mph head wind... I wish I'd taken the car! Enjoy. :) I find MTB's are better to improve my fitness, as well as being more comfortable than a road bike.
 
rick448 said:
Enjoy, we were at work until 2 am this morning, and I decided to cycle in today, we had 40 mph head wind... I wish I'd taken the car! Enjoy. :) I find MTB's are better to improve my fitness, as well as being more comfortable than a road bike.
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Just managed to put it together and the pedals were the hardest to get on. The reason why I got it was it will really help me get fit and stay fit, plus it will be a very very long time till I use our buses again here.
 
Fuji Dave said:
Just managed to put it together and the pedals were the hardest to get on. The reason why I got it was it will really help me get fit and stay fit, plus it will be a very very long time till I use our buses again here.
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That's great, no doubt you will be reintroduced to the joys of a cycle saddle! I find cycling is a great way to maintain my fitness now I can no longer run or play squash due to an issue with one of my knees (caused by running and playing squash and football ;) )

I also have a Concept 2 rower in my office, and I do 5K a day on that, that certainly gives a decent all over workout without the impact levels of other types of exercise.

Be careful out there! :)
 
wibbly said:
Any advice biking peeps!

Borrowed my sons Carrera mountain bike off him and he was complaining the rear wheel rubbed when riding it.

Looking at the hub spindle it was snapped in two - not sure how he’s managed to do it but nevertheless.

Have sourced one which is same diameter and length (top in pic) but it doesn’t appear to fit due to the extended space only one side.

Quick question really - am I trying to fit it wrong or have I bought the wrong type!

Top hub spindle in the photo is the new one and bottom is the broken one.
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Snapped axles happen. Bicycle wheels are subject to a lot of forces from different angles; when you consider their component parts, they really are a marvel of engineering. Something that light that can withstand so much force, yet retain mechanical integrity. Marvellous. The crucial thing here, is the OLD, the Over Locknut Dimension, which is the measurement from the outside of the locknuts that fit within the frame (ie not including the outer ones that clamp the axle into the frame). Same applies if you're using a QR axle and skewer. so you can space out the new axle with extra spacers/washers, if you can find something to match, or use the bits off the old axle. As mentioned, you'll need a suitable cone spanner (very thin steel spanners, get one that fits properly or it'll go horribly wrong and you'll end up with a smashed face and possibly broken teeth), and a spanner on the locknut. Or better; clamp the locknut in a vice and use a cone spanner. It'll come off. Nothing on a bike can get truly seized. PlusGas/WD40 etc can help. As can a bit of heat from a blowtorch, trained on the locknut for a few seconds. But that is a pretty easy job tbh; I've worked on bikes for over 30 years, and there's very little that can't be sorted. Mind you some of this new fangled electronic gear stuff looks like it would be impossible to fix, should it suffer electronic failure. Not that the manufacturers care; Shimano etc want you to buy more stuff all the time, to maximise their profits. Most of their components are pretty much disposable these days; they deliberately punt out stuff with built-in obsolescence, and don't supply spares for kit that more than a couple of years old. New chainring bolt patterns every couple of years. And don't get me started on Bottom Bracket 'standards'...
 
Lockdown™ meant the streets of London were much quieter, so I got the road bike out after years of it sitting more or less idle, with the odd hour out once a year or so, to remind myself that riding road bikes in London is s***. It's been a revelation; the first time I've ever actually enjoyed riding a road bike in London. That's why I ride one of my 3 MTBs, when I'm not using my hybrid commuter, Brompton or whatever else I've got at the moment. Mountain Bikes are soooo much better than road bikes.... ;)
 
rick448 said:
That's great, no doubt you will be reintroduced to the joys of a cycle saddle! I find cycling is a great way to maintain my fitness now I can no longer run or play squash due to an issue with one of my knees (caused by running and playing squash and football ;) )

I also have a Concept 2 rower in my office, and I do 5K a day on that, that certainly gives a decent all over workout without the impact levels of other types of exercise.

Be careful out there! :)
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I have set myself a goal but it will be a while off yet, I have lights for when it`s evening and a helmet so I hope to get out for a small bike ride tomorrow.
 
Rapscallion said:
Will do. There's a UK seller of kits called Woosh bikes that are frequently recommended for their support but they sold out of kits days before I went to order.
Instead I ordered from Pswpower which have a mixed reputation, but with payment going through PayPal I have some backup if needed. Also saved over £150 with the kit costing just under £600 with a 14.5ah Samsung battery.
Click to expand...

Unfortunately those kits are not legal to use in the UK. Maximum power in UK is 250W motor and must only be pedal assist with an assisted speed limited to 15mph.

For this kit the vehicle needs type approval, a motorcycle licence, insurance etc.

Unlikely anything would happen until someone complains or involved in an incident then you would be banned from driving and receive an extremely hefty fine :-(
 
RWDW said:
Unfortunately those kits are not legal to use in the UK. Maximum power in UK is 250W motor and must only be pedal assist with an assisted speed limited to 15mph.

For this kit the vehicle needs type approval, a motorcycle licence, insurance etc.

Unlikely anything would happen until someone complains or involved in an incident then you would be banned from driving and receive an extremely hefty fine :-(
Click to expand...

Not looked this one up but if the 500w is the Maximum instantaneous power and the Nominal power is 250W then it should be legal, i think all 250w motors peak at over 250w
 
mikew said:
Not looked this one up but if the 500w is the Maximum instantaneous power and the Nominal power is 250W then it should be legal, i think all 250w motors peak at over 250w
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"Its electric motor:
E-bikes are a great idea, but I think the current regs are fine; you want faster? Get a full motorbike license. Although perhaps a new electric motorbike licence could be introduced for lower powered e-bikes; no test required but a max speed of 25mph say, plus insurance. Or rideable under a current car insurance. I dunno. But a full motorbike licence (requiring a test) does seem a bit much for an e-moped. A Yamahondsaki GTXR Fireninja can do 200mph; a bit of a difference. Requiring a full test and licence for an e-moped would put people off using the lower powered alternatives; might as well get a 'proper' motorbike and thus create more speed and risk. It's about encouraging people to seek and use alternatives to public transport and cars, not turning them all into Barry Sheene*.

*I know nothing about motorbike racing. Barry Sheene is about all I know. Evel Kenievel?
 
AZ6 said:
"Its electric motor:
E-bikes are a great idea, but I think the current regs are fine; you want faster? Get a full motorbike license. Although perhaps a new electric motorbike licence could be introduced for lower powered e-bikes; no test required but a max speed of 25mph say, plus insurance. Or rideable under a current car insurance. I dunno. But a full motorbike licence (requiring a test) does seem a bit much for an e-moped. A Yamahondsaki GTXR Fireninja can do 200mph; a bit of a difference. Requiring a full test and licence for an e-moped would put people off using the lower powered alternatives; might as well get a 'proper' motorbike and thus create more speed and risk. It's about encouraging people to seek and use alternatives to public transport and cars, not turning them all into Barry Sheene*.

*I know nothing about motorbike racing. Barry Sheene is about all I know. Evel Kenievel?
Click to expand...

Had 10 years ebiking and as you say no need for more than 250w for road use.
 
RWDW said:
Unfortunately those kits are not legal to use in the UK. Maximum power in UK is 250W motor and must only be pedal assist with an assisted speed limited to 15mph.

For this kit the vehicle needs type approval, a motorcycle licence, insurance etc.

Unlikely anything would happen until someone complains or involved in an incident then you would be banned from driving and receive an extremely hefty fine :-(
Click to expand...

It is 250w with pedal assist. There are other options going up to 750w for the tsdz2.
 
Fuji Dave said:
After some advice from the riders in here, I`m thinking about getting a camera to go on my helmet when I get out on my MTB. Can anyone give me a point to any good ones ? TIA
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I've used a tiny GoPro Hero 5. It's picture quality is really good; better than the cheaper alternatives I've seen. It's very well made and tough; fully waterproof. It doesn't have a screen, but that doesn't matter if you're just bunging it on a helmet really. And tbh, a chest mounted cam will give a better viewing experience; your chest is more or less always pointing in the direction of travel, whereas helmet mounted cams follow your head movements, so can be really irritating watching footage. Putting it on the bike itself is another option, but you then get loads of vibration. The newer 'full size' GoPros have much better image stabilisation, but are obviously a lot more expensive.

There are cheap alternatives; you can get something useable for £50 or less, even. And the image quality isn't too bad. Not as good as a GoPro though. There are also expensive alternatives; GoPro do seem to have this market niche sussed though.
 
AZ6 said:
I've used a tiny GoPro Hero 5. It's picture quality is really good; better than the cheaper alternatives I've seen. It's very well made and tough; fully waterproof. It doesn't have a screen, but that doesn't matter if you're just bunging it on a helmet really. And tbh, a chest mounted cam will give a better viewing experience; your chest is more or less always pointing in the direction of travel, whereas helmet mounted cams follow your head movements, so can be really irritating watching footage. Putting it on the bike itself is another option, but you then get loads of vibration. The newer 'full size' GoPros have much better image stabilisation, but are obviously a lot more expensive.

There are cheap alternatives; you can get something useable for £50 or less, even. And the image quality isn't too bad. Not as good as a GoPro though. There are also expensive alternatives; GoPro do seem to have this market niche sussed though.
Click to expand...


Thank you, have been looking at the Gopro8 Black.
 
I`ve got the hero 7 black, happy with quality of video but battery lasts a bit over an hour, so not so good on a 3 or 4 hour ride. Have it attached to handle bars and no problem with vibration
 
nog said:
I`ve got the hero 7 black, happy with quality of video but battery lasts a bit over an hour, so not so good on a 3 or 4 hour ride. Have it attached to handle bars and no problem with vibration
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Thanks for that Keith, just put in an order for the GoPro7 Black.
 
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A £12 1980's E Clements road bike converted to 6 speed rear wheel so I could use a mega range rear freewheel and flat bars with bar ends to give me a better riding position and the wider bars allow me to use the down tube friction shifters and have enough leverage to keep the bike on track. Cantilever brake levers to give me better braking and still fitted with 27x 1 1/4 inch wheels. I use it for commuting and a little bit of pleasure riding ( not very often due to having Fibromyalgia).

As I brought it but at this point I had cut and reversed the drop bars, The brakes were terrible ! Taken with a 1960's Comic 35 from LOMO

ec2.jpg

Being fitted with a ali rimmed rear wheel rather than the death trap chrome Raleigh rim it came with. 1980's point and shoot camera.

ec1.jpg

And the MTB as I Brought it approx 18 years ago , it's a lot more battered now !

db.jpg
 
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