Recent content by zbikeman

Have you checked the rear hub carefully for signs of fatigue / failure / cracks? I once had an MTB hub - Shimano Deore DX if memory serves - where I kept blowing through spokes in the rear wheel near the hub. I'm a lightweight, so it wasn't excess weight, hucking the bike, jumping off curbs...

@BioWheel, just curious - where did the spokes fail? In the middle, near the hub or near the nipple? My experience is that the location of the failure helps explain what's going on. If you've never had problems with alloy rims but seem to break spokes with carbon rims, keep in mind alloy will...

The proprietary stem is also a dealbreaker for me. What, does Spesh think that we all need the same stem length and extension, and this is the best we can do? Seems like a giant step backwards. Don't build fancy displays into components and then make them proprietary. You lose a significant...

The old chain is hopefully the correct length. If you still have it, lay a new one next to it and remove any links to get to the length of the old one.

Every business seems different with regard to scheduling repair work. I don't know if this is common in the UK, but I've been to at least a couple auto repair shops in the US that didn't schedule any work in advance. If you wanted work done, you simply showed up with your vehicle. Get there...

Most shops have an idea of how far out their service backlog needs to clear (typically days or weeks). It's perfectly OK to ask how far out they're working, as you probably won't get your bike back before then. As far as the shop asking you to bring it in first thing in the morning, in...

After playing drop-the-wedge-in-the-seat-tube with my Sirrus X 5.0 (and now my Vado 4.0 SL) enough times, my workaround is to drop the bike on its side (on an old blanket to prevent scratching) whenever adjusting saddle height or changing saddles. It's virtually impossible to drop the wedge...

My Sirrus X 5.0 has that same wedge seatpost clamp. After dropping the wedge in there numerous times, I found an odd workaround. I turned the bike on its side when adjusting saddle height. Makes the wedge much less likely to fall into the bottom bracket.

In 2005, I took my Bike Friday folding bike to Paris for a short trip. I was going to meet up with some friends on day 2 and they said they'd show me the town. First day in Paris, I hit the streets with my bike. Within 10 min. of starting out, I had something happen I didn't think possible...

You saved the Siggy, congrats! Ever try www.pentaxforums.com for your 135/2.5 PK or 77 FA? I used to be on there long ago. I remember coming across some good deals in the classifieds occasionally. Here in the US, we have mpb.com, keh.com, adorama.com and a bunch of used equipment sellers...

Stefan, where there's a will, there's a way. The Pentax Limited primes are absolute gems. Small, phenomenal optics, impeccable design and construction. What's not to like? The 77mm especially is nice for headshots and head and shoulder portraits. Stop it down a smidge from wide open and...

I bought a used 2022 Vado SL 4.0 a few months ago, after owning a Sirrus X 5.0 with Future Shock and liking it. For whatever reason, I thought upgrading the Vado SL 4.0 to a Future Shock fork wouldn't be difficult. Turns out I was mistaken. The Vado SL 4.0 fork is a very nonstandard 12x110...

Thanks, Stefan. Apparently I had to reinvent the wheel before reading about more methods. Nearest Spesh dealer is at least 1/2 hr. away, so I didn't think I'd be taking it in. The missus - who has a non-SL Vado 4.0 and doesn't have to worry about coin battery replacement - was watching me...

I just turned on my 2022 Vado 4.0 SL today, and got the flashing red and blue bar indicating the need for TCU battery replacement. I tried the method outlined by @Allan47.7339 above - gently depressing the tab while shaking the unit to get the battery out. That didn't work. Battery wouldn't...

Problems that can't be solved on your own. That's my biggest concern with having a not having a dealer close by. We recently purchased two used Specialized e-bikes (Vado & Vado SL) from Upway, even though the nearest Spesh dealer is a half hour away. We could have gone with new Trek e-bikes...