What did you do with your bike(s) today?

[Andy01]

Hanger alignment tool is well worth it. Most every bike I put it on, needs adjusting.
Mine's only a half decent tool, but it puts you in the ballpark.

This one (for about $15 and an hour's work) and a steel rule works just fine;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWdO4dnu18g

Great find thanks.
The Author (RJ) uses a bench drill for accuracy.
Many of us won’t have a bench drill but I don’t think that matters much as long as you are careful to align the drill holes on each side of the square steel tube fairly accurately.

I find it much easier to drill into steel or aluminium with a step drill bit, works perfectly with a relatively inexpensive battery powered Ozito handyman drill.

I managed to find a superb little step drill bit for 8 dollars in the specials bin at the local Mitre 10.
The step drill bit goes in 2mm increments from 4 to 12 mm diameter.
I’m no expert but it seems to work best if you drill a pilot hole with a 2 or 3 mm ordinary drill bit first

Yes, ideally a drill press makes it easier, but if the hole is accurately measured and marked up from each side (from the pre-cut end of the tube bought from Bunnings which should be nice and square), and ideally using a centre punch to put a dent on the exact marking, then drilling two holes from each side should be just as accurate. I do have a drill press which made the job a bit simpler. And yes, I always drill a small pilot hole first, often go up in a couple of steps - maybe 2.5 or 3mm, then 6mm, then 10mm (you don't want to go bigger than the 10mm bolt to keep things nice & snug).

The "hardest" part is finding the bolt and nuts because it is a finer thread (I think from memory it is M10 x 1.0 - please check) than the "standard" M10 bolt available at Bunnings, which is M10 x 1.5. I bought mine over the counter at a local Brisbane bolt supplier - I think the bolt + 2x nuts cost me about $4.50 or something. Also get some washers to suit 10mm (if you don't have any lying around).

I just bought a 1m length of 20mm steel square tubing from Bunnings for a few $. I am not sure that 20 or 25mm aluminium tubing would be strong enough unless you go for 3mm wall thickness

Steel - https://www.bunnings.com.au/metal-mate- ... e_p1130463 - $9.12

Aluminium - perhaps the best option at Bunnings (should be strong enough, hopefully - they don't seem to list 3mm wall thickness anymore) - https://www.bunnings.com.au/metal-mate- ... e_p1138270 - $9.76

I think I would stick with the steel tube myself.

I have used mine a few times and appear to be able to get the hanger straightened quite accurately within a few minutes. Is it as good as the Park Tools equivalent - undoubtedly not, but it is about $100 cheaper

[blizzard]

Got some sand for a sandpit, ride the bike into the backyard


picture sharing

[MichaelB]

Actually ‘twas yesterday, but aside from a decent last ride for Sep (50km and 1,012m elevation) I happened to run over a brown snake as I was going up Mt Lofty near Eagle on the Hill !!

Don’t know who crapped themselves more - me or the snake ???

Luckily I’d didn’t strike and must have been as surprised as I was

[warthog1]

Took the ultegra cassette off the TCR and cleaned it.
Wow, what filth
Has been on there 20k km or more. Progold oil based lube to start with and then drip on wax.
Chunks of black paste everywhere. It needs pressure cleaning with detergent tbh.
Put a Sunrace on in its' place.

[Imwit]

Actually ‘twas yesterday, but aside from a decent last ride for Sep (50km and 1,012m elevation) I happened to run over a brown snake as I was going up Mt Lofty near Eagle on the Hill !!

Don’t know who crapped themselves more - me or the snake ???

Luckily I’d didn’t strike and must have been as surprised as I was

Not ideal. Is your heart rate back down yet?

[warthog1]

A brown snake on the O'Keefe yesterday and one on the bitumen today. Going to be a few out in Summer it seems!
Glad it didn't get you Michael.

[g-boaf]

Actually ‘twas yesterday, but aside from a decent last ride for Sep (50km and 1,012m elevation) I happened to run over a brown snake as I was going up Mt Lofty near Eagle on the Hill !!

Don’t know who crapped themselves more - me or the snake ???

Luckily I’d didn’t strike and must have been as surprised as I was

Oh crap...

I nearly did the same today, going downhill at Prospect Dam in Western Sydney. Mine was a very young brown snake, very small and looked just like a very small stick. The thing made one hell of a hiss. It was only a matter of inches between it and my wheels. Fortunately I was going quite fast downhill.

The only other encounter I have had with a brown snake that close was a large one which I spotted quickly enough and stopped before I got too close. That one just looked at me and then went on its way with no great hurry. In contrast to its nonchalant attitude, my heart rate was through the roof.

[MichaelB]

Actually ‘twas yesterday, but aside from a decent last ride for Sep (50km and 1,012m elevation) I happened to run over a brown snake as I was going up Mt Lofty near Eagle on the Hill !!

Don’t know who crapped themselves more - me or the snake ???

Luckily I’d didn’t strike and must have been as surprised as I was

Oh crap...

I nearly did the same today, going downhill at Prospect Dam in Western Sydney. Mine was a very young brown snake, very small and looked just like a very small stick. Thing thing made one hell of a hiss. It was only a matter of inches between it and my wheels. Fortunately I was going quite fast downhill.

The only other encounter I have had with a brown snake that close was a large one which I spotted quickly enough and stopped before I got too close. That one just looked at me and then went on its way with no great hurry. In contrast to its nonchalant attitude, my heart rate was through the roof.

Was the second time in two ascents, but saw the other one and just missed it.

Reckon a couple of lives were exchanged and the snake was glad I had bigger tyres on so that he didn’t get squashed !!

[grt046]

Tried out the hilly bits (Jinker Rd/Bunya Rd and Eatons Crossing) of the revised Moreton Bay 100 Charity Ride course to be run by Moreton Bay Cycling Club in December. Early 0530 start and being a public holiday virtually no traffic in perfect riding conditions
Verdict: It will be a tough day out

[warthog1]

Hanger alignment tool is well worth it. Most every bike I put it on, needs adjusting.
Mine's only a half decent tool, but it puts you in the ballpark.

This one (for about $15 and an hour's work) and a steel rule works just fine;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWdO4dnu18g

Bugger, it's turned out an expensive tool for me

The steel was cheap, haven't got the bolt and nuts yet. Bunnings didn't have an M10 bolt with 1.0mm thread. Down to bolt supplies for that.

The $300- dollar drill press blew out the cost a bit.
I've always wanted one and that seemed like a good excuse.

[Andy01]

Hanger alignment tool is well worth it. Most every bike I put it on, needs adjusting.
Mine's only a half decent tool, but it puts you in the ballpark.

This one (for about $15 and an hour's work) and a steel rule works just fine;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWdO4dnu18g

Bugger, it's turned out an expensive tool for me

The steel was cheap, haven't got the bolt and nuts yet. Bunnings didn't have an M10 bolt with 1.0mm thread. Down to bolt supplies for that.

The $300- dollar drill press blew out the cost a bit.
I've always wanted one and that seemed like a good excuse.

[uart]

Bunnings didn't have an M10 bolt with 1.0mm thread. Down to bolt supplies for that.

Let us know where you end up finding that bolt Warthog, I'm thinking of building a crude hanger alignment tool some time too. I did once make a really crude one out of a broken RD and a piece of wood, but I probably should make a proper one some time.

M10x1.0 is a fairly uncommon pitch. Metric coarse (M10x1.5) is the most common, and metric fine (M10x1.25) is less common but still fairly easy to find. M10x1.0 seems hard to find around here.

The $300- dollar drill press blew out the cost a bit.
I've always wanted one and that seemed like a good excuse.

Yeah a DP is definitely something worth having, I use mine fairly regularly. I once went to Aldi to buy 2L of milk and came home with 2L of milk and a 12 speed drill press, LOL.

So at Bunnings and it was $300, so I"m guessing the little Ryobi 5 speed.

[warthog1]

Let us know where you end up finding that bolt Warthog, I'm thinking of building a crude hanger alignment tool some time too. I did once make a really crude one out of a broken RD and a piece of wood, but I probably should make a proper one some time.

M10x1.0 is a fairly uncommon pitch. Metric coarse (M10x1.5) is the most common, and metric fine (M10x1.25) is less common but still fairly easy to find. M10x1.0 seems hard to find around here.

At the local bolt supplies. Specialise in fasteners. It is an uncommon size they said. Got a couple that are Allen key headed.

Yeah a DP is definitely something worth having, I use mine fairly regularly. I once went to Aldi to buy 2L of milk and came home with 2L of milk and a 12 speed drill press, LOL.

So at Bunnings and it was $300, so I"m guessing the little Ryobi 5 speed.

Yes the Ryobi goer. They had a much cheaper Ozito one but I expect the Ryobi is better quality.
I have bought cheap tools previously that were false economy. Sometimes it works out though. Have a few Aldi battery powered tools that have been fine. I'd have bought the Aldi press if it was available.

Edit; just googled the Aldi drill press. Much cheaper! You did well on that milk run.

[WyvernRH]

Might I suggest www.boltandnut.com.au for fastener supplies of all sorts. They deal with small orders (like just one of something if you are being really mean)
They seem to stock most things necessary.

Re the Ryobi drill press, Dunno about the current model but when we came to Oz in 1988 my father in law (a true bush mechanic...) bought me a Ryobi drill press "To tide me over until I need a real one". That drill press is still running in my workshop today and hasn't missed a beat over all those years. This despite frequent heavy use and being used with hole saws, miller heads and large drill sizes that I'm sure were not intended by the designers

Richard

[warthog1]

^^ Good to hear. If won't see a lot of use but will be handy.

[uart]

Re the Ryobi drill press, Dunno about the current model but when we came to Oz in 1988 my father in law (a true bush mechanic...) bought me a Ryobi drill press "To tide me over until I need a real one". That drill press is still running in my workshop today

That's quite a coincidence Richard. My dad also bought a little 5 spd Ryobi drill press in the late 80s, and that one now sits in my workshop and still runs fine. I had to replace the start capacitor some years ago when it was struggling to start, but apart from that it has always run fine.

I wouldn't mind betting yours is the exact same model as mine, Ryobi HBD6MA, and probably looks a lot like the image below (which is not mine btw, mine is way more worn and rusty looking, but same model).

[WyvernRH]

Re the Ryobi drill press, Dunno about the current model but when we came to Oz in 1988 my father in law (a true bush mechanic...) bought me a Ryobi drill press "To tide me over until I need a real one". That drill press is still running in my workshop today

That's quite a coincidence Richard. My dad also bought a little 5 spd Ryobi drill press in the late 80s, and that one now sits in my workshop and still runs fine. I had to replace the start capacitor some years ago when it was struggling to start, but apart from that it has always run fine.

I wouldn't mind betting yours is the exact same model as mine, Ryobi HBD6MA, and probably looks a lot like the image below (which is not mine btw, mine is way more worn and rusty looking, but same model).

Yup, that looks like mine (but cleaner) - except Eric machined me a taller backpost to give more height under the drill which has often proven useful. It has been super reliable over the years, can't really fault it. Oh! Except the cast clamp thingy you see sitting on the movable platform, which cracked about 5 years ago and had to be replaced. It had been horribly abused over time but still made 30-ish years of service

Richard

[uart]

Eric machined me a taller backpost to give more height under the drill which has often proven useful.

That's a great idea Richard, limited work piece height can definitely be an issue on some of these smaller bench top models. Fortunately the little Aldi one I picked up has a couple of inches more (compared to the Ryobi) of working height there, which is often useful. Another thing that's often handy is a set of extra short (stub) drill bits, especially for metalwork, as that also effectively gains you a couple more inches of clearance.

Except the cast clamp thingy you see sitting on the movable platform, which cracked about 5 years ago and had to be replaced.

That "clamp thingy" is called a drill press vice (or a machine vice), and it's not part of the drill press (would have been sold separately). I suppose the shop might have thrown it in for your dad, or made it part of a package deal or something, but it's a definitely a separate item to the drill press itself.

[warthog1]

Except the cast clamp thingy you see sitting on the movable platform, which cracked about 5 years ago and had to be replaced.

That "clamp thingy" is called a drill press vice (or a machine vice), and it's not part of the drill press (would have been sold separately). I suppose the shop might have thrown it in for your dad, or made it part of a package deal or something, but it's a definitely a separate item to the drill press itself.

Thanks Bunnos have them too. Will grab one
https://www.bunnings.com.au/craftright- ... e_p5860161

[uart]

Thanks Bunnos have them too. Will grab one
https://www.bunnings.com.au/craftright- ... e_p5860161

That's the one I've got too warthog. It's very low cost and doesn't work too badly, but does have a few shortcomings. Generally "Craftright" at bunnings is their lowest possible cost option, and some of their stuff gives acceptable performance home use, but also some of their stuff can be utter junk. (I bought a 12 pack of craftright hacksaw blades for about $3 there once, and all the teeth literally broke clean off every blade on the very first use, LOL.)

That DP vice is ok except for the metal plate underneath that controls the slide. If it's too tight then the jaw wont slide, and if it's too loose the moveable jaw has too much up/down play, which effects it's ability to hold things square. The problem with mine was that over time the screws holding that plate would loosen and/or the plate would bend a bit, so it always ended up having too much play in the jaws. I ended up beefing up and modifying that slide plate on mine to make it work better.

BTW. The slide plate is a bit like the one on the left here, but a lot more flimsy on the Craftright.

[g-boaf]

I rode 101km today on my S5. Wasn't really motivated but got the ride done.

[stevenaaus]

3 greasy hours overhauling BB and then headset looking for a nasty creak. Nothing. 20 seconds retightening cheap rear quick release axle.... Voila. That's a first for me.

[warthog1]

Thanks Bunnos have them too. Will grab one
https://www.bunnings.com.au/craftright- ... e_p5860161

That's the one I've got too warthog. It's very low cost and doesn't work too badly, but does have a few shortcomings. Generally "Craftright" at bunnings is their lowest possible cost option, and some of their stuff gives acceptable performance home use, but also some of their stuff can be utter junk. (I bought a 12 pack of craftright hacksaw blades for about $3 there once, and all the teeth literally broke clean off every blade on the very first use, LOL.)

That DP vice is ok except for the metal plate underneath that controls the slide. If it's too tight then the jaw wont slide, and if it's too loose the moveable jaw has too much up/down play, which effects it's ability to hold things square. The problem with mine was that over time the screws holding that plate would loosen and/or the plate would bend a bit, so it always ended up having too much play in the jaws. I ended up beefing up and modifying that slide plate on mine to make it work better.

BTW. The slide plate is a bit like the one on the left here, but a lot more flimsy on the Craftright.

Hmm. Thanks for that. I'll have a look before purchasing. There is a more expensive one available too.

[blizzard]

Took the toddler to Aldi and did the weekly shop on the Cargo bike. The shoulder strap on one of the panniers went into the spokes and wrapped itself around the hub, breaking the clips on the pannier, wheel seems fine.

[find_bruce]

Took the toddler to Aldi and did the weekly shop on the Cargo bike. The shoulder strap on one of the panniers went into the spokes and wrapped itself around the hub, breaking the clips on the pannier, wheel seems fine.

That's a well built wheel that will withstand that sort of abuse - makes sense that a cargo bike is built strong.