Cycling North After Winter

[richardmorris]

Here you are!

 

 

Journey so far is 45ish miles. Not counting detours. If you want a basic bike computer, this wired one is probably as cheap as they come if you see a Decathlon.

https://www.decathlon.co.uk/100-wired-cycle-computer-id_8382193.html

[Bucketeer]

Sunday started off wet and spotty.

 

 

 

 

 

Did I say there was rain? There was rain.

 

 

And wind.

 

 

I kept swapping side to side of the river, partly because you get to go on little ferries.

 

 

The afternoon dried up a bit, and I passed the Rhine canal with it's pretty cool gates.

 

 

I then found some woods, which isn't as easy as you might think in Holland.

 

 

And made camp for the night.

 

[DeeJay]

How warm is it inside the tent of a night?

[Bucketeer]

This morning there was wet.

 

 

 

 

The centre crank nut thing started to come loose today. I expertly managed not to possess a big enough Allen key to tighten this up. But . . .

 

 

 

Unfortunately I had to stop to tighten it up more and more often, and now there's a wobble and a groan from the crank even when tightened. I've limped along this afternoon and I'm now only about 10kms from Nijmegen.

I've set up camp by the side of the Waal, beneath a motorway.

 

 

The view from where my tent is now, but wasn't yet then.

 

 

I'll have to limp (and push if necessary) the bike to Nijmegen in the Morning to the nearest bike shop. No problem.

[Bucketeer]

How warm is it inside the tent of a night?

It's okay. I'm still only in one of the two sleeping bags. Tonight there's a breeze whipping through and my toes might be requesting the second sleeping bag later tonight/soon.

[SiC]

That hex nut is probably 8mm.

 

Bottom bracket going duff?

 

(Bottom bracket is the bearings that are on the frame the crankset sits in)

[Mrs6C]

You are only 25km from the place where Six-cylinder and I stay each year when we visit Citromobile! Piet and Marianne do B&B, caravans and camping, but camping sadly is only from April 1st through to October 1st. The B&B is great though - € 84 - € 94/night

 

https://boerderijhazenveld.nl/

 

Boerderiij Hazenveld, Laag-Nieuwkoop 36, 3628 GC Kockengen, Netherlands...

[Bucketeer]

Bottom bracket going duff?

 

Yeah, it's well on it's way out. It's got to a point now where the left pedal and pedal arm(?) are slightly wobbly even with the centre bolt tightened, and it needs fully retightening every 500m-1km.

[loserone]

Unlikely to be the BB, but it will probably be the square tapered BB axle and the socket on the crank arm rounding off quickly if you continue to ride on it.

 

Getting it tightened should be a priority in order to save them. I used to get through crank arms and BBs every couple of months on my trials bike, usually for exactly this reason.

[richardmorris]

This morning there was wet.

IMG_20181210_090350007.jpg

IMG_20181210_094420175.jpg

IMG_6533.JPG

The centre crank nut thing started to come loose today. I expertly managed not to possess a big enough Allen key to tighten this up. But . . .

IMG_6535.JPG

IMG_6536.JPG

Unfortunately I had to stop to tighten it up more and more often, and now there's a wobble and a groan from the crank even when tightened. I've limped along this afternoon and I'm now only about 10kms from Nijmegen.

I've set up camp by the side of the Waal, beneath a motorway.

IMG_20181210_164457211_HDR.jpg

The view from where my tent is now, but wasn't yet then.

IMG_20181210_170043089.jpg

I'll have to limp (and push if necessary) the bike to Nijmegen in the Morning to the nearest bike shop. No problem.

Bike shops on Nijmegen....

[loserone]

Ah, too late. You definitely need new arms and BB

 

Edit: don't be tempted to just do one or there other, now there's wear the other will damage any new parts you put on.

[richardmorris]

Yeah, it's well on it's way out. It's got to a point now where the left pedal and pedal arm(?) are slightly wobbly even with the centre bolt tightened, and it needs fully retightening every 500m-1km.

Do you get a clunk every rotation when on the move? Sounds like the bottom bracket. Don’t worry, they’re quite cheap if needed, but it could just need tightening up. Special tool needed though and a large breaker bar.

[Isaac Hunt]

Good luck with the fix.

 

Takes me back to when I was a kid, damn cotter pins. Little Bike shop up the road never seemed to have one the same size, used to spend hours filing the things down (minutes actually)

 

These days things are a bit different with those bottom cranks. Did you pack any Araldite ? Not saying it would be strong enough to fix it but it could be a good edition to your spares kit.

[davehedgehog31]

If you're going to have bicycle troubles, The Netherlands is probably the place to do it!

 

Enjoying the updates Sir.

[SiC]

I know your short on cash but it really could do with a crankset and bottom bracket. That will fix your wonky sprocket too. They'll probably also recommend a chain and back cassette (rear sprockets) too, as you're supposed to replace them as a set really.

[Luxxo Waftybarger]

Unlikely to be the BB, but it will probably be the square tapered BB axle and the socket on the crank arm rounding off quickly if you continue to ride on it.

 

Getting it tightened should be a priority in order to save them. I used to get through crank arms and BBs every couple of months on my trials bike, usually for exactly this reason.

What he said. Cranks are probably toast, once they start to loosen the hard steel axle deforms the soft alloy cranks and the hole is no longer square. It only takes a few turns of the crank to do this once they are loose. As a result they can never tighten properly against the axle no matter how hard you tighten the bolts. The only solution is new cranks sadly or you will find yourself constantly tightening them again as the cranks 'walk' off the axle. Bottom bracket is probably fine.

 

The problem is caused by under tightening the crank bolts in the first place. People underestimate the amount or torque needed to tighten crank bolts, you will bend or snap a normal Allen key before over tightening them.

 

You should really replace chain and cassette at the same time as cranks even if that's going to add another £20-£30 minimum because otherwise you'll wear the chain on the new crank teeth and it is much more likely to snap.

 

Think of it as a positive, you can probably put a bigger cassette on the back to get a lower (easier) gear which will make the whole thing more doable once you hit the hills. There might be a bike recycling project or something you could tap up for cheap bits? Failing that try to find a repair shop they usually do better than sales places at fixing old stuff.

 

If you can stretch to it an octalink or gxp bottom bracket and crankset will be less likely to cause these problems and are easier to remove and replace without causing terminal problems to the cranks which is the main downside of square tapers (despite being cheap).

[loserone]

I personally wouldn't bother with a new cassette, I'd maybe carry a spare chain IF you're worried about it.

[Marm Toastsmith]

What he said. Cranks are probably toast, once they start to loosen the hard steel axle deforms the soft alloy cranks and the hole is no longer square. It only takes a few turns of the crank to do this once they are loose. As a result they can never tighten properly against the axle no matter how hard you tighten the bolts. The only solution is new cranks sadly or you will find yourself constantly tightening them again as the cranks 'walk' off the axle. Bottom bracket is probably fine.

 

The problem is caused by under tightening the crank bolts in the first place. People underestimate the amount or torque needed to tighten crank bolts, you will bend or snap a normal Allen key before over tightening them.

 

You should really replace chain and cassette at the same time as cranks even if that's going to add another £20-£30 minimum. Think of it as a positive, you can probably put a bigger cassette on the back to get a lower (easier) gear which will make the whole thing more doable once you hit the hills. There might be a bike recycling project or something you could tap up for cheap bits?

 

I agree. Wobbly cranks won't ruin the BB - the alloy square hole on the cranks is easily misshapen and once that happens they'll work loose no matter how tight you do the bolt up - but the steel BB axle is unlikely to be damaged. Any noises at this stage are likely to be the crank wobbling about on the axle.

 

If it's just the L/H one that's loose then you can just replace that and keep your current chainrings etc. I'd ask the bike shop if they have a second hand one. I bet they do.

 

Crank bolts need to be done up very tight. I am fairly weak so use all my strength until I hurt (with a long spanner or big allen key) then try again. Rougly 60NM or 45 foot pounds.

 

As for the chain/cassette the bike shop will have a tool for checking wear. The tool normally has 2 points - one means the chain should be replaced, the second means the chain and cassette are both worn out. Better to replace the chain early otherwise the cassette wears in sympathy and will be no good when you finally get round to replacing the chain. But if the bike shop tool says it's fine then it's fine. Worth checking while you're there, but if it's only the L/H side that's knackered then you can leave the drivetrain alone.

 

More importantly, well done, have fun and enjoy yourself. I've cycled those paths in Holland in the rain (and wind) too so I know the joy and the pain.

[Supernaut]

Aye, get a replacement left-side crank arm, get it on there tight and crack on!

[Luxxo Waftybarger]

Good point. Most cheap bikes have square taper cranks and they don't need to match so you could just use a second hand one. Might be worth scanning outside bus or train stations for obviously knackered abandoned bikes and 'borrowing' a left crank?

 

If you are buying a replacement just try to make sure it's the same length as the right. Most are stamped with length on the inside of the crank arms. Most will be 172.5 or 175 on adult male bikes.

[SiC]

I'd still get the bottom bracket changed as well, especially as Bucketer is going to be doing quite a few miles kilometres on this bike. If it's all off and being worked on, it's easy to get it changed at a proper bike shop with the correct tools for removing and replacing it. Better to have it done now than in some far flung place that doesn't really know what a bicycle is, let alone has stock of the correct type of BB to go in.

[Marm Toastsmith]

I'd still get the bottom bracket changed as well, especially as Bucketer is going to be doing quite a few miles kilometres on this bike. If it's all off and being worked on, it's easy to get it changed at a proper bike shop with the correct tools for removing and replacing it. Better to have it done now than in some far flung place that doesn't really know what a bicycle is, let alone has stock of the correct type of BB to go in.

 

Hmm... No reason to suspect there's anything wrong with the old one based on what's been posted. Why not just replace the whole bike while you're there?

 

If the bb feels rough or loose with the cranks off then sure but I reckon it's fine. All I can see here is a loose/rounded off crank arm.

 

If in doubt ask the guy in the bike shop to check it!

[SiC]

Why not just replace the whole bike while you're there?

 

No, don't be facetious. If the budget was there, then yes, strip it right down to the bare frame and rebuild/replace the major wear parts. Of course the budget isn't there, so it can't be done. But it's a perfectly valid thing to be done on a (proper) bike.

 

However changing parts that are consumables and not necessarily easy to DIY on the side of a road is really not a bad idea. Especially when that part is going to get a lot of hammering in the cold, wet and gritty environment. This bike isn't going in a nice dry and often warm garage to dry off after a pleasant summers day cycle. The conditions this is being ridden in is perfect for shortening the life of bearings. Its for good reason best bikes aren't ridden in the winter if you want them to stay nice! Water, grit, dirt and grime gets all into those moving surfaces.

 

Of course it's up to Bucketer to do what he wants. But if it was me and I was going on a long ride over many weeks having just replaced crank components, I'd be getting other parts that aren't easy to have replaced, replaced with quality replacements. Especially as somewhere like where he is, it should be able to be done easily and reasonably affordably. Far better than stuck in the middle of nowhere while trying to push everything up a godforsaken steep hill while its pissing it down and freezing cold, with 15 miles to go.

[DeeJay]

When you take your bike in for repair tell the chap(ess) what you're up to and how you are being followed online by (probably) a couple of hundred strange people.

 

 

You might get a discount. 

[Rocket88]

When you take your bike in for repair tell the chap(ess) what you're up to and how you are being followed online by (probably) a couple of hundred strange people.

 

 

You might get a discount. 

 

If bike repair place googles this site you'll probably get sectioned...............

[w00dy]

Love this thread! As others have said, a loosening crank arm is usually the arm itself and the BB is likely ok. What length arms are they (probably printed or stamped on the reverse side)? I might have something in my spares to suit that I could post out to you.

[binhoker668]

Yup, I also have loads of spares (of all types) knocking around.  Also happy to post. 

[Bucketeer]

I'll get the bike in bits at the bike shop and see what's what.

This morning the bike has behaved, the bolt hasn't loosened once yet.

 

I see Nijmegen.

 

 

[Bucketeer]

I got to Nijmegen this morning with no issues.

 

 

I came in over this bridge. Anyone remember if this bridge was a level on Medal of Honour Frontline on PS2?

 

 

[Bucketeer]

I sat and watched the boats this lunchtime.