|   the mechanical gods are against me | narlus
Dec 31, 2001 5:02 PM | | here are my last few rides, chronologically going backwards from today:
today - no front brake, lost crank arm (bolt fell out)
sunday - stripped driveside crank arm pedal threads
friday - no mechanicals (!)
last sat - lost rear brake ~10 minutes into the ride
a few weeks ago (when i hurt my neck) - lost rear brake towards the end of the ride
a few days before that - stripped non-drive side crank pedal threads
a few days before that - rear der spring went, necessitating the use of 1st gear only
argh!!!! what have i done to turn these deities against me? |
| Are they cheap parts? | BikeWizard
Dec 31, 2001 5:16 PM | | Or has there been a lack of service specifically using a torque wrench? Stuff like this shouldn't happen unless you're crashing constantly. With more specific info on the equipment and the tools you're using, there's a ton of people here who can help. BW. |
| learn how to work on your bike! | LORD HUMUNGUS
Dec 31, 2001 6:06 PM | | thats more parts than i broke the last 3 years! |
| yep it's called preventative maintenance | Mtn Mike
Dec 31, 2001 6:28 PM | | common dude, check your bolts every now and then. Things "falling off" don't happen to a well maintained bike. just my suggestion. |
| Sometimes it just happens! | AK Ken
Dec 31, 2001 7:08 PM | | A lot of these guys are talking about lack of maintenance. Mebbe, but sometimes, stuff just HAPPENS.
Example:
One day last summer I had 2 (TWO) road graders parked together on the Denali Highway 60 (SIXTY) miles from the shop. Out I go in my little pickup looking forward to a nice day of road maintenance.
I get about a mile of road bladed when this two hundred thousand dollar machine that is on a VERY regular maintenance schedule stops shifting gears. Okay, no problem, I'm pulling the ditch at the time, so I'm not blocking the road, and I have another grader just a couple miles away. I try to shut off the motor, but nothing happens. NOTE: both the transmission gear selector and the fuel shutoff valve are computer controlled units that require 24 volts to operate. No prob, there's a mechanical fuel shutoff valve, I close it but the thing won't die. Okay, it'll just take a minute to drain the lines, I'll start walking.
I go for a nice hike, and when I return with the other grader, the bum one is STILL RUNNING. Hmmmm,,,now what? Well, if I can't get the fuel to quit, I'll try the air. I take off my jacket and wrap it around the air cleaner. I can make it cough, but I can't make it quit. Coat isn't airtight enough. So I scrounge around and find all the old sandwich bags, pieces of tinfoil, and used condoms in the area till I have enough to completely choke off the air filter. She shudders, she shakes, she belches nasty blue smoke, but she finally succumbs.
I recommence to blade the road with the other grader. This time I get one pass done, and am returning with a berm right down the middle of the road when the SAME THING HAPPENS TO THIS GRADER!!! No shifting, stuck in neutral, won't move an inch, and won't shut off. Only this time I'm blocking the whole road. I close the manual fuel valve and start my second hike of the day back to the pickup. When I return, that sucker is STILL RUNNING and I have to go through the choking routine again, plus pull the grader out of the road with the pickup, plus shovel a hole in the berm big enough for traffic to pass through.
All I can figure is there were space aliens hovering overhead that needed all the voltage they could get to relaunch their spacecraft on a trajectory for Uranus, and they robbed all my juice.
Sometimes stuff just HAPPENS!
ken |
| You're waffling... | Chef
Dec 31, 2001 7:43 PM | | about a ride at Trumbull. Just give in, and go. You'll feel better.
T |
| To everyone in the "poor mechanic" camp.... | CyberJay
Dec 31, 2001 7:58 PM | | narlus stikes me as a fairly capable wrench. If he wasn't riding his poor bike off large rocks I might agree with you. His crank problems are deffinitely abuse/poor design(Hussfelt I believe). Lots of people seem to be having trouble with them.
As for the brake problems, I have no idea. You got Hope and Hayes right Tim? The Hayes on my Turner have deffinitely seen better days, but they seem to stop me most of the time. ;)
Sucks to have a run of bad luck like that but it happens. especially when you've got a few bikes in the stable(lots to break).
-Jay |
| From what he wrote earlier, cranks are cheaper Truvativ | CraigH
Jan 2, 2002 3:42 PM | | not Hussefelt. Fire-X maybe? |
| re: the mechanical gods are against me | Ocron
Jan 1, 2002 4:54 AM | | sounds like there are two common denominators here...brakes and cranks. Time for some upgrades! As far as derailleurs go, well I'm now on my 4th of the season after the spring that keeps tension on the cage let go Saturday, so file that under sh!t happens.
I don't see how anyone can equate those mechs to poor maint. More like bad luck and crappy parts (with all due respect to the Hope contingent). |
| it's been a little of both | narlus
Jan 1, 2002 5:11 AM | | the brake problems have been mysterious. i think the first incident was a problem w/ a seal or o ring, which allowed a very small loss of fluid. the 2nd time it happened was caused by a poor bleed (an air bubble was still in the line).
the cranks are a different story. apparently they just ain't made for drops.
and i agree w/ the der spring, just one of those things.
as far as the stuff yesterday, that's weird. i haven't ridden the spooky really since the ride we did @ nam, so not sure why the crank bolt would fall out and the front brake would crap out. |
| It's the pilot, not the wrench | radair
Jan 1, 2002 5:14 AM | | Something tells me you're:
1) Hucking bigger stuff onto flatter landings; or
2) Subjecting your cranks/pedals/brakes to repeated hard landings/crashes.
Ahh, the cost of having fun, eh? |
| HA HA! | WORLD B. FREE
Jan 1, 2002 6:47 AM | | just kidding |
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