(dramatic whooshing noises)
- Welcome back to another episode of the GCN Tech Clinic.
(quiet calming background music)
If you've got yourself a bike related problem,
no matter what it is, make sure you leave it down there
in the comment section and I'll do my best to answer it
in an upcoming episode.
Alternatively, leave me those questions on all forms
of social media using the hashtag askgcntech.
With no further ado, it's time to crack on
with the first question this week, and it comes in from...
In fact I'm just going to read out your surname,
because I definitely can't say your first name.
Comes in from Wu.
"Hi, John, I really like your show.
I've been following your advice by washing my bike
with soapy water each week.
After washing my bike, I just let the bike air dry.
Recently, I noticed that both my cassette and chain
started to rust.
Did I wash it too often?
Or is it because I let my bike dry in the air?
Also, will soapy water contaminate the disc brake pads?"
Right, it is good practice to wash your bike
which is absolutely great, I'm glad you're doing it.
Something else you could well do,
unless of course, it's really hot,
a lot of water droplets tend to hang around on the bike,
so get yourself an old towel,
certainly not one you're going to use
after you have a shower,
just run the chain through that and also the sprockets, too,
and try to wipe away as much excess water as possible.
If you've got some compressed air, so an air hose,
blast that in there, too.
That does a fantastic job
of getting rid of any water particles,
as does products such as Bike Protect from Muck Off
or some of the products from WD-40,
some of the bike specific ones,
you can spray that on the drive train afterwords,
and it just makes sure that water goes away
and it doesn't start to give you that surface rust,
which isn't that nice.
As for soapy water contaminating disc brake pads,
no, as long as you rinse it off
with some clean water afterwords.
Hopefully you're going to be rust free from now on.
Next up is Samuel Li who says, "Hi GCN Tech, I got a
10 speed ultegra 6770 di2 group set
and I want to upgrade it to 11 speed.
Is it fine to just upgrade the rear derailleur,
cassette, junction box, chain, and leave the rest as it is?
Some people say there's going to be
a firmware compatibility issue, but others say
it will work fine, so I'm just a bit confused."
Right, Samuel, you're going to need
the front derailleur too.
The reason being, an 11 speed rear derailleur
and 10 speed front derailleur,
they don't talk the same language,
and that's my technical speak, really,
for them just not working together.
They used to work at first,
but once you plug in and upgrade your firmware
or update it to make sure you've got
the latest operating gears, if that makes sense,
they just will not work.
It's very likely that the new rear derailleur
is going to come prepreprogramed to not work
with an old front derailleur.
So yeah, you are going to need to get both of those mecs.
We've got CafeConLech81 now.
"Hello, John, I've been having some issues
with my rear derailleur skipping.
I took it to a bike shop mechanic
and it came down to needing to replace it."
That's always a sad day.
"I have a Scram Red 22 rear derailleur, the green edition,
and would like to replace it
with the same green edition model,
but it seems impossible to find it anywhere.
Is there anyway to service or rebuild the old one,
or does it need to be replaced?
If so, any suggestions where I can find it
for a fair price?"
All right, this is an absolute drama, really,
because you've got your heart set on this limited edition
green componentry, or green decos on it.
It's eventually worn out
and it's not going to match anything else.
If you've got OCD like me, this is not a good situation.
You can probably rebuild that rear derailleur,
have a look on the Sram website,
they've got a whole heap of spare parts
that you can look around at,
probably buy every single component to rebuild it
and have it working just like new.
Alternatively, the more time efficient process
would be to go out and buy a new one,
but it's not going to match all those green components,
so you could then go to a sticker or decal shop
and try and get them to make something
that you could put over the white or red writing
that could well be all that new derailleur.
Alternatively, take it to someone who's going to paint it on
and then they could just lacquer over the top there.
There's a few solutions or suggestions for you.
Right, next up is Carl Cook who says,
"Hi, Jon, (obviously) I upgraded my chain
to an 11-speed KMC in Gold."
Good man, Carl.
"I also bought an ultrasonic cleaner
with the intention to keep all my cassettes
and chains gleaming."
I'm starting to like you a lot, actually, Carl.
"With the KMC chain, do I really need a fresh quick link
every time I want to remove it to clean it?
Or am I missing something?"
Right, Carl, first up,
good job that you're taking care of that bling.
I've got some really good news for you,
because some of those KMC quick links,
they are classed as a one use bit of kit,
but even better news, or really the news for you,
let's face it, is that some of them are reusable.
So have a look on the KMC website
and you'll be able to find one
which is exactly what you need for your needs.
I don't know the model of that 10 speed
or 11 speed chain you've got,
11 speed, I did have to just check.
Have a look on there,
you may even be able to get a different colored one, too,
to really make it stand out and look really cool.
I think it's absolutely great that you're doing
what I love to do,
and that's taking off the chain
and give it a proper deep clean.
You can just get it way more clean
by taking it off the bike, than if you leave it in place.
Right, we've got Olivier Hiroz next.
"Hi, Jon, almighty bike wizard."
I could do with a beard and a hat.
No, I couldn't.
"I cannot find a real definitive answer to this question.
Are the Shimano SPD-SL cleats compatible
with the Vector 3 power meter by Garmin?
Thanks a lot in advance for your help, Ollie."
Now, Ollie, no, those Shimano SPD-SL cleats
are a different size and a slightly different shape
to the Look Keo ones which are compatible
with those Garmin Vector Pedals,
so that's exactly what you're going to have to use.
Don't try and use anything else
and try and bodge your way around it
or anything like that.
When it comes to having a pedal interface with your cleat,
you want it to be absolutely spot on.
You don't want to risk pulling out of those pedals
when you're dropping down those wattage bazookas.
Next up is violinfreax.
I have to ask, where do you get your usernames from?
Some of them are really normal.
Violinfreax, I don't know.
Anyway, right, "Hi Jon, love the show,
I have the opportunity to get an almost new
Shimano 6800 Ultegra Group set,
the shifters, front and rear derailleurs,
for a quite good price.
Now, I currently have a Shimano 6600 Group set on the bike,
the crank set is a 6700 one.
Can I keep the crank set
or will I also have to buy a 6800 one?
Thanks in advance."
Keep that crank set.
Don't spend any money just yet.
You will be able to have absolutely fine working gears.
They're not going to be quite as crisp as if you had
a 6800 chain set on there because
the spacing of the chain links have ever so slightly
moved over the years,
as we've gone from 10 to 11 speed and everything,
but I've used chain set from three or four generations ago
with the latest generation of group set,
so derailleurs, and it's worked absolutely fine.
Like I said, you're not going to get
the spot on gear shifting, but it's going to be okay.
Good news.
Right, we've got ConceptDLX now.
"I've just got a new Focus Izalco Max and I'm not able
to prevent the aero seat post from creaking.
No matter how much carbon paste I use,
it does not want to stop.
Do you have any advice for me?"
Yeah, firstly make sure
that it is the actual seat post that's creaking.
It may not be actually creaking
down there inside of the frame,
unless of course you've held onto that seat post
and you've managed to get it to creak while
trying to move it around.
I would check firstly that the saddle to seat clamp
or seat cradle on the top of the seat post,
that that is absolutely tight, too,
so it's torqued up correctly.
And also maybe, if you've got carbon rails on that saddle,
use some carbon paste there, too.
Alternatively, use some copper paste
or some anti-C something like that.
Make sure that all the bolts
are greased and lubed correctly,
and like I say, they are torqued up,
including that seat clamp bolt there, too.
You say you've used a lot of carbon paste,
make sure that it's down
far enough inside of the frame, too.
So maybe you've going to have to put some
on a tool of some sort, maybe a long screw driver
and just make sure it's around the circumference
of that seat post, too.
Because sometimes when you push a seat post in,
you just see it come back up the seat post
and it doesn't go down inside of the actual
seat tube itself.
Kroent is next and Kroent says,
"I own a Stevens from about 1999 with a Tiagra 4400.
I love the handmade small aluminum frame
and want to recreate the GCN's cheap bike.
How do I attach a 105 R5800 braze
on front derailleur, which clamp do I need?
Kroent, my friend, you're going to need a braze on damp.
So what is this exactly?
It's simply a clamp which goes
around the outside of your seat tube,
then you can bolt that braze
on the front derailleur in place.
As for the diameter,
because they do come in different sizes,
you are going to need to get yourself
a pair of calipers or a micrometer,
something like that, and actually just measure
the outside diameter of your seat tube
to make sure that you get a correct mounting bracket,
but it's going to be an absolute piece of cake.
And I look forward actually to seeing that bike,
once you've done the rebuild.
Now we've got George Duffy.
Now, that is the kind of username I like.
It's simple, it's your name.
Right, so George says, "I ride an older
specialized Tarmac and find I can get quite a bit
of brake rub on the rear wheel when climbing,
or really putting the power down.
Being around 85 kilo and on the stronger side,
I expect a bit of flex in my wheels,
but the other day, when cleaning my bike,
I noticed that the paint is getting worn on my frame
in where the rear stays are meeting the bottom bracket
so the wheels are rubbing there, too.
It's made me wonder, is it the wheel,
or is it the frame flexing?
How can I figure out what the culprit is?"
Right, George, it could be either that are flexing.
It could be that your wheels have had a bit of tension drop
from the spokes, maybe they just need
tightening up a little bit to try
and keep them slightly more in line.
Also, is it rubbing just on one side or on both sides?
If it's just on one side, sounds like possibly
the wheel isn't in correctly or the dish isn't okay.
If it's on both sides, could well be you're running too wide
of tires for the drop outs.
Sorry, for the actual chain stays to accommodate.
Lastly, this isn't a good one, really.
It could be you've got a small crack in your frame
that's just allowing the wheel to flex
and whip around a bit too much.
Without actually seeing it, it's really hard to give
a definite answer.
Check all those things, if in doubt,
pop down to your local bike shop
and see what they've got to say about it.
The last question this week comes in from
iRacecraft who says, "Dear Jon,
I love to read almost as much as I love to cycle.
Are there any books you would recommend to make me
a better bike mechanic?"
Wow, Roger Moore, My Word Is My Bond,
that's a good book.
It's not going to help you with your bike mechanics,
but I'm a big Roger Moore fan,
so I would suggest reading that.
As for books becoming a better mechanic,
generally, books are great for learning a theory,
but when it comes to the practical side of things,
which is what we're going to be doing on our bikes,
they're not that good.
With new components and new bits and pieces
always being released, you're never going to be
really up to date.
What I did and how I learned
and how every mechanic I think I know learned
is actually by tinkering around with your own bike.
You make a few mistakes, you fix those mistakes,
and then it's like an evolution of the whole process.
Something you could do is pop along to your local scrapyard
or try and buy a cheap second hand bike
if you don't want to go around
and play on your favorite bike,
and then actually learn from that bike,
because you're not going to get too upset
if you do make a mistake.
Say, for instance, if you're going to be building wheels,
that kind of thing.
Hopefully that'll be okay for you,
but there are some great manuals out there,
like the part tool, they've got big blue bible,
as I like to call it,
and that has loads and loads of information inside of it.
That could well help you.
Right, I hope I've been able to help answer
and solve your problem this week.
If not, as ever, leave it down there
in the comment section below
and I'll do my very best to help answer it
in an upcoming episode.
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