Speaker 1: Welcome to the GCN Tech Clinic where we aim to answer your cycling tech-related
questions and problems. You can submit your questions using #AskGCNTech in the comment
section down below, and on social media. Without further ado, this week's first question comes
from Marccyclist. He says, "Rims and brake blocks. I go through them like they're made
of soap. Some spots of rain and, whoops, I've run out of braking material, #costingmeafortune."
Brake wear is one of those things that's like a piece of string. Some people will brake
more and it depends on a variety of factors, where you ride, the conditions you ride in,
the kind of roads that you're riding on, how clean they are, the time of year, how much
the system weight on the bike is as well. Now, if you are going through a lot, there's
a few things I'll recommend. Make sure everything is as clean as possible. After your rides,
make sure you're cleaning down your rims, rubbing dirt off them with a cloth. Also,
on the brake blocks themselves, keep them clean, because if there's any dirt or bits
of particles stuck to them, then that can act like sandpaper and be more abrasive on
the rim surface and on the pad as well. Failing that, if you are going through a lot
of rims, then the solution long-term is probably a disc brake bike because it's much cheaper
to repair or replace worn-out discs and pads than it is to replace a whole wheel when your
rim has worn out. Next question is from Kamucho who says, "What happens when a bottom bracket
goes? Mine is making some pretty rubbish noises. Will it stop me mid-ride?"
Usually, it doesn't stop you mid-ride. Normally, when a bottom bracket has gone, you can ride
home on it. It's usually something that comes on over a period of time. To know that your
bottom bracket is gone, it's going to be because there's lots of play in the bearings. It's
usually something that is not just down to noise. If you can move your crank arm, again,
slide it side to side and there is actually a bit of play, that's a sign that it's gone.
This is something that you should get fixed and replaced. It means that you probably need
to get new bearings. The reason being that if there's play in there, it will cause the
chainset to move slightly, which can mean you can drop your chain while you're riding
along. You don't want to do that, especially when you're out the saddle, it can be dangerous.
You could fall off. Also, your gear changes are likely to be compromised as well, but
if it's just making noises, it might just need taking apart, cleaning and servicing,
regreasing, and putting back together. We talk about it a lot, but press-fit bottom
brackets are notorious for making creaks and noises, so it's something that is worth looking
at. Also, check that it is the bottom bracket that is making the noises. This sounds obvious,
but in my experience and all the other guys, we've often had bikes where we swore that
it was the bottom bracket making the noise only to find out that it's the headset or
the crank arm or just another part of your bike that you haven't thought of. It could
even be a peddle axle. Definitely, diagnose the problem and check that it is the bottom
bracket. Another bottom bracket question, this one
from Bruce Langsteiner. He says, "I have a classic steel frame that I would like to upgrade
the bottom bracket and crankset to a Shimano Hollowtech. The threading in my frame is Italian.
Is this a possibility?" Yes, it is a possibility. It certainly is. Now, the issue is that if
you've got an old steel frame, then it's likely that the bottom bracket is threading into
the actual frame. It's not separate cups that are going in to that frame like you would
on a carbon frame. The threading in the bottom bracket, with
it being Italian, that's important here. A BSA bottom bracket that's threaded has opposite
threads on each side of the bottom bracket. This is to stop you unscrewing the left-hand
side of the bottom bracket as you peddle along. In the same way, the pedals have opposite
threads on the left and right pedal. Italian bottom brackets, older design, they
have the same clockwise thread on both sides of the bottom bracket, just an older design,
but that means you can't put in a different bottom bracket into that thread if you were
going to try and do that, but don't worry. You can use an Italian bottom bracket that
is designed to fit a Hollowtech Shimano crankset. I know this because my Pinarello came with
one. Most modern Pinarellos actually come with Italian bottom brackets these days. I'm
not entirely sure why, but I actually swapped mine out for a GXP Italian threaded bottom
bracket so that I could put my Quark in when I took out my standard Shimano Hollowtech
chainset. There you go. Next question is from Kevinswedlow. He says,
"How about tips for bike storage in a small apartment
that also facilitates easy in-out for commuting?" Well, this is a problem that a lot of people
have to deal with. I deal with it myself, I live in a flat and I actually store my bike
on the wall above the fireplace. Now I've actually drilled a mount into the wall that
holds it in place. It looks really cool, especially-- Well, if you're into bikes it looks cool,
and you've got a nice bike, it's like a piece of art on the wall. Just make sure it's clean,
but check with your landlord if it's not your house or apartment before you start drilling
holes in the wall, definitely do that. If you don't want to drill holes in the wall,
there are loads of other options as well. There's hooks that you can fit onto the backs
of doors and so you can hang your bike on the back of a door. We have one of those in
the GCN set that works really well. Topeak make a touch-go stand as well that is just
like a pole that you can mount between the floor surface and the ceiling surface and
then tension it in place by screwing it. Then you can just hang bikes on that which is quite
a neat solution as well if you don't want to start drilling holes in your flat.
Jgr106_, unusual name, has said, "I struggle to wear cycling glasses when it's dark and
raining. I get glare off the raindrops on the lenses. Any tips to prevent this?" Well,
most high-quality cycling glasses will have a good hydrophobic coating on the lens which
should help shed rain, but even so, if you watch any pro race where it's raining, like
often in the classics or Paris-Roubaix or something, you'll see that a lot of the pros
do away with the glasses, put them on the back of the head or stow them in the helmet.
That's because, well, glasses don't have windscreen wipers on them I guess. Even with the hydrophobic
coatings, you will still get dirt and water sticking to them making it quite difficult
to see. Unfortunately, there isn't really an option beyond that. If it's really bad,
probably take your glasses off, that's what most pros do, but you could experiment with
some hydrophobic coatings on your glasses. We recently did a video looking at hydrophobic
coatings on the actual frame itself to try and make it dirt-proof, but there's no reason
why you couldn't apply something similar to your glasses, so maybe have a go at that.
The last question this week is from Eclipse Lex who says, "Great show, always enjoy watching
and learning from it." Thanks man. "I find myself a Pinarello 2004 marvel frame it has
a semi-vertical dropout and an adjustment screw. Would it be possible to run it in a
single speed without using a chain tensioner?" It's hard for me to say without seeing your
semi-vertical dropout because normally you need a horizontal dropout to run a bike at
a single speed so that you can slide the rear wheel in and out in order to get the adequate
chain tension, because you don't have the rear derailleur there creating the chain tension.
I actually answered a similar question about this in a tech clinic two episodes ago, but
you can try it and see how you get on. It'll be pretty obvious if you can adjust the chain
tension on there. It sounds like you might be able to, but if you can't and you don't
want to run a chain tensioner to get that chain tension, then the same answer as before
applies. The best option is probably to go with an eccentric hub as that will create
the adequate chain tension. You need an eccentric hub in your rear wheel.
Well, that's all we've got time for this week. As ever, keep your questions coming in and
we'll keep on answering them using #AskGCNTech on social media and in the comment section
below videos. If you'd like to support the channel or get a GCN apron so that you can
do your own maintenance and keep yourself clean, well, head over to the GCN shop, we've
got loads. [00:08:52] [END OF AUDIO]