Finally found a vintage bike near me in the NE. A touch younger than I wanted but I'm pretty happy with it, haven't given it a spin yet tho due to some weird atmospheric phenomenon where water falls from the sky. Serviced last year/100 miles ago. Seems to have slight movement in the rear cassette but it's Reynolds 531 and alu wheels. Did I land a keeper?
Price paid: >!£125!<
(Not many options round 'ere!)
I'm looking at lots of budget vintage road/touring bikes, hoping to find something 70s or early 80s. Does anyone know how Puch 2500 hi-ten steel compares to Reynolds 531 / 501? And what are the best sites for finding new tyres & tubes, whether the wheels are 26-28" or 700c? Thanks in advance
I'm in the UK and fancy restoring this vintage road bike. Am I going to spend too many hours searching for parts if any need replacing? Will tyres, tubes, chain, cables be soul-crushingly expensive? Will stems or different bars be hard to find? Any insight before I buy would be appreciated. It's a 1970s kalkhoff that hasn't been ridden in 20+ years. I don't want it to look super fresh, just in good mechanical condition for casual riding. Thanks
Can any scat experts tell me which animal has visited and left us this present? Just curious, I guess a fox. It's roughly cat/small-dog poop sized. No dogs have visited us. Thanks!
I'm looking for a 60/70s steel framed bike but not finding too many options near me. Are there any good sites I'm missing? Failing that it will be a day trip somewhere. Thanks
Update: moved it to a shady corner to acclimatise, sticky strips & nematodes planned if it's going back inside later. Cheers!
The Monstera has a tiny-fly infestation (fungus gnats?) so the plant has been put outside while they're on holiday to avoid other plants getting infested. Is the change in environment likely to do more damage than the flies? Will they infect other plants pretty easily if put back inside? Thanks
(Yes unfortunately I did just give it a big watering before finding out what the flies were 🫣)
I thought it was just discolouration until I looked more closely, and can't find any similar cups online. Will this damage be very noticeable on occasional rides? I'm not doing anything wild. It's for the non-drive side rear hub on a BMX wheel. Thanks
Hi, I wanted to inspect and service my rear hub as it wasn't smooth. I had to get a vice and a bigger wrench as the locknuts were so tight. A couple of cone spanners are on the way but in my efforts I loosened the wrong (non-drive) side first, both locknut and cone nut came out together. It was tight but I don't think I damaged any threads. So now I have bare axle opposite the freecoaster and it's locknut. How do I loosen it? I would put the other side back on but still awaiting a bigger cone spanner.
[Edit: I took the non-drive side off with vice and long wrench and elbow grease, no cone spanner... What now? 🫠] I bought a used wheelset off eBay (smart) and the rear hub isn't smooth so trying to service/fix it. I can't get the nuts off so far, is it just seized or do I need a specific tool? There is a cone spanner type nut behind the left hand (non-drive) side locknut but annoyingly it is 18/20mm so bigger than my cone spanner. The RHS doesn't have appear to have any unlocking mechanism apart from the nut and it's a freecoaster. The locknuts are also a weird size, ~23mm. I picked these up because they were made by Amity, a British BMX company that folded around 2022, and i wanted a little piece of history on my ride. Any tips on getting the hub disassembled much appreciated! I've sprayed it with penetrating oil to see if that helps. Do I need a chain whip, bigger cone spanner, engineering degree?
[Solved?? Chainring wasn't particularly flat so hammered it flatter between some planks...] I installed a new bmx bottom bracket and now adding the new cranks. When I tighten the bolt through the sprocket to the crank, the sprocket bends. When I loosen it off again, sprocket looks straight again. What have I done wrong? (Video showing the wonky sprocket in comments)
Hi, decided to replace my US BB with a US-Mid kit as I am putting in new cranks. Do I need a specific tool to loosen the bearing covers? One side has two slots in the ring, the other has 3 notches that look suspiciously like they fit a tool. I've got cup removal and press-in tools ready once it's out. Thanks
Edit: Got it! Spun the stem after getting it's bolts loose, job's a goodun. Thanks all for your help ✊ <3.
Trying to change the stem on a BMX and then I realised the top bolt is in pretty bad shape... It's so round where the hex should be it looks like it might even have been drilled. Any suggestions?
I tried tapping in a torx bit but no joy. (Edit: accuracy)
I've had these ABEC 5/7 bearings since 2011, they're not a quality brand but are they still fine to use?
I fitted a new FSA headset to a Haro BMX that previously had cups, using (*white) lithium grease. I put a very light amount on the bearings & races before assembly, everything moves smoothly. A shop I bought more parts from included a tube of dark red multipurpose grease. Should I have put lots of grease on the bearings and if I'm adding more, can I mix them? I read that lithium grease is better for non-moving parts but multipurpose is better for bearings etc. I could also degrease before applying the multipurpose.
I'm looking at a piece of land with 40 acres, a small crumbled building and no services. It is on the hills below a mountain with some small natural lakes, about 6km from the nearest town in Umbria (central Italy). There is an olive grove and the land is arable. Aside from the many issues that might arise from permissions and bureaucracy, what would you do with a plot like this?
I do speak some Italian but definitely need to improve. I don't have a family to worry about supporting at the same time. I have moderate experience of indoor and outdoor projects/work. I want to create something sustainable that includes either the local community or out-of-town visitors/residents. What ideas might be a good fit for looking after the land, living on it and gently developing it?
You're middle-aged, unencumbered, open to big changes and somewhat handy indoors and out... You spot a ruin for sale in Italy, with no electricity, water or sewage connections, but it does have 40 acres on a gentle hillside with gorgeous views and its own natural lakes... It costs less than a small flat where you come from but it's not like you can live 'in' it anytime soon. On it tho, probably?
Would you do it? And *what* would you do with it??
(I'm aware this sub is not about property development etc, but asking here on purpose. I'd rather hear from people who love the land rather than people who love hotels in this scenario.)