Deeps
Active Member
Well it appears as though the winter in our region is a thing of the past with bright blue skies and temperatures in the range of 17°C to 20°C (62°F to 68°F) although I suspect there will be a sting in the tail somewhere down the line. Usually we're still getting snowfall in the middle of February not what we are currently experiencing. Oh well, makes for a longer riding season eh?
That said, the winter has not been spent sitting around being idle and I invested a lot of time in repairs, upgrades, minor improvements and generally giving the bike a good go-over and clean.
Whilst washing off the last of the 2018 dirt I happened to notice that the outer sleeve of the shift cable was sliced through no doubt as a result of chafing on the edge of the top frame hold during movement of the handlebar. Once the outer sleeve is gone this leaves the inner steel shifter cable exposed and more than likely resulting in a break when least expected or wanted. Threading a replacement cable up from the bottom of the frame and out through the top (cables are routed through the tube) turned out to be a nightmare although in principle should have been a relatively easy job. I was later to discover that Bosch do not supply open-ended fittings, that is to say cables are supplied to bike assemblers having connectors fitted for a straight plug-in connection. Due to various bike frame sizes the cable from the controller on the handlebar running through the frame and down to the motor is supplied in a single length (in my case about 20% too long) with the excess being literally stuffed inside the frame tubing. For me this resulted in a field of spaghetti wiring inside the tube which made my pushing up (or down) another length of cable extremely difficult. The trick for anyone ever having to undertake this exercise is of course to pull out the excess cable using a light hand and with feeling so as not to break the connection down at the motor end.
The handlebars were also replaced for a bar that had less of a rise when compared to that supplied with the bike and Ergon GA5 grips fitted. These grips really are the bees-knees providing a soft secure feel. Also replaced were the rear Cassette, forward Chain Ring, Chain and Tyres. I opted for the Schwalbe Marathon Plus MTB set as my riding style is not true MTB'ing (I'm sure members will understand my meaning) but is more a mixture of cycle paths, agricultural access roads and forest roads. These Marathons are also super quiet compared to my earlier super nobbies.
I also replaced the brakes for the Shimano XT BR-M8020 4-piston variety and I have the feeling that these brakes would have the capability to stop a steam train if required. Discs were also replaced of course.
SKS Shockblade/X-Blade mudguards have also been now fitted which hopefully will hold back some of the mud that was thrown up into my face and back during the back end of last year.
So, with all now having either been fixed, repaired or replaced it was time to get out riding. The first run out was only over a distance of 5km to wear in the new brake pads before returning home to carry out a few adjustments to brake and gear change levers positions which I wasn't 100% happy with. The second outing (yesterday) was over a distance of 37km and was thoroughly delightful.
A small section of the route that my wife and I took was is identified as Scultoura and covers a distance of 40km over which various pieces of metal sculpture constructed by various artists are to be found. We intend riding the complete tour later in the Spring.
That said, the winter has not been spent sitting around being idle and I invested a lot of time in repairs, upgrades, minor improvements and generally giving the bike a good go-over and clean.
Whilst washing off the last of the 2018 dirt I happened to notice that the outer sleeve of the shift cable was sliced through no doubt as a result of chafing on the edge of the top frame hold during movement of the handlebar. Once the outer sleeve is gone this leaves the inner steel shifter cable exposed and more than likely resulting in a break when least expected or wanted. Threading a replacement cable up from the bottom of the frame and out through the top (cables are routed through the tube) turned out to be a nightmare although in principle should have been a relatively easy job. I was later to discover that Bosch do not supply open-ended fittings, that is to say cables are supplied to bike assemblers having connectors fitted for a straight plug-in connection. Due to various bike frame sizes the cable from the controller on the handlebar running through the frame and down to the motor is supplied in a single length (in my case about 20% too long) with the excess being literally stuffed inside the frame tubing. For me this resulted in a field of spaghetti wiring inside the tube which made my pushing up (or down) another length of cable extremely difficult. The trick for anyone ever having to undertake this exercise is of course to pull out the excess cable using a light hand and with feeling so as not to break the connection down at the motor end.
The handlebars were also replaced for a bar that had less of a rise when compared to that supplied with the bike and Ergon GA5 grips fitted. These grips really are the bees-knees providing a soft secure feel. Also replaced were the rear Cassette, forward Chain Ring, Chain and Tyres. I opted for the Schwalbe Marathon Plus MTB set as my riding style is not true MTB'ing (I'm sure members will understand my meaning) but is more a mixture of cycle paths, agricultural access roads and forest roads. These Marathons are also super quiet compared to my earlier super nobbies.
I also replaced the brakes for the Shimano XT BR-M8020 4-piston variety and I have the feeling that these brakes would have the capability to stop a steam train if required. Discs were also replaced of course.
SKS Shockblade/X-Blade mudguards have also been now fitted which hopefully will hold back some of the mud that was thrown up into my face and back during the back end of last year.
So, with all now having either been fixed, repaired or replaced it was time to get out riding. The first run out was only over a distance of 5km to wear in the new brake pads before returning home to carry out a few adjustments to brake and gear change levers positions which I wasn't 100% happy with. The second outing (yesterday) was over a distance of 37km and was thoroughly delightful.
A small section of the route that my wife and I took was is identified as Scultoura and covers a distance of 40km over which various pieces of metal sculpture constructed by various artists are to be found. We intend riding the complete tour later in the Spring.
Our weather is looking up also, 54F this coming Sunday and light winds! I just hope they are right because they got it very wrong last week! I purchased some Schwalbe Marathon GT's and fitted them last night, hoping punctures will be a thing of the past...
