Yesterday, I put up the post about the Actos Machine tandem build focused more on the drivetrain. Besides the R601/R603 cranks, it got new Ultegra 6700 shifters and derailleurs and an XT 11-32 cassette. The shifters were installed on a set of Ritchey WCS carbon bars. The Ritchey WCS stem was fit to a quill […]
Filed under: What's in the stand, Working on bikes
Only a couple years in the making, this Actros Machine titanium tandem made by Merlin co-founder, Gary Helfrich, is owned by a local resident. I’m guessing it was made around 1990 and had most of the original parts on it when I brought it into the shop a couple years ago. The task was to […]
Filed under: What's in the stand, Working on bikes
There’s just something so personal about handbuilt wheels compared to factory built, off-the-shelf wheelsets. Yet, in today’s bike market, the factory wheel seems to rule. I’m sure there are fine examples out there. However, they are the easy way out. Walk into a bike shop, buy a set of wheels, walk out, slap ’em on […]
Filed under: Working on bikes
I was putting together a Salsa Vaya today and thinking why would someone want to buy a bike from me versus any other bike shop. In fact, why does anyone choose one shop over another to buy a bike? I pondered this as I: Took each wheel off, put it in the truing stand, verified […]
Filed under: Working on bikes
I had a couple come into the shop this week while they were out on a ride. He commented that I had great hours: open at 11 am during the week and close at 5:30. Life’s got to be good with a schedule like that, right? I said, that yes, that would be ideal, however, […]
Filed under: Working on bikes
What an awful screeching sound it must have made when these disc brake pads wore through the pad and half-way through the metal back plate. One can only imagine. The damage that these pads wrought to the rotor and the pistons was pretty incredible, though. But, one caliper overhaul, two new pistons and seals, a […]
Filed under: Working on bikes
You know you’ve been there. You’re supposed to install fenders on that bike with the internally geared hub, coaster brake, and, in this case, those big chrome domes of the Shimano Coasting bike. The fenders retail for $25. The actual time it would take to install the fenders because you have to take the rear […]
Filed under: Working on bikes
With steerer tubes on most higher end bikes these days being aluminum or carbon fiber, it’s easy to forget to apply a light coat of grease to the steerer tube if you find yourself installing a fork with a steel steerer tube. Why grease a steerer tube? Well, glad you asked. The steerer tube is […]
Filed under: Working on bikes
Way back in April I tried to fix a 9-speed Dura Ace STI shifter. Didn’t work as there was a crucial part that was damaged and the cause of the shifting problem. When I was trying to fix that one, I also took apart one of mine to have a side-by-side comparison of just how […]
Filed under: Working on bikes
A long time ago, I learned that brake spring tension should be just enough so the arms return to open. The feel at the brake lever should be snappy, but not tight. Squeezing a brake lever shouldn’t be like squeezing one of those spring loaded hand grippy things that all high school kids used to […]
Filed under: Working on bikes
I picked up this old Merlin bike recently. Full complement of WTB Grease Guard bits (hubs, headset, rollercams, bottom bracket) and size XL made the decision pretty easy. Not often in find such a rare bike and even rarer parts in my size. After I cleaned it up a bit, I went to raise the […]
Filed under: Working on bikes
This was a saying we were fond of using in many situations back in the ’80s. It has roots in Jeff Spicoli’s famous line, “My old man is a television repairman, he’s got this ultimate set of tools. I can fix it,” after he totals a car. We used it in many cases that had […]
Filed under: Working on bikes