Forum | Maintenance

Post edited 6:25 am — May 6, 2010 by Duchy Wheeler

One and all,

Fellow Guv’nor wheelers, I’m sure you will be interested in a new publication I have just come across on:   http://www.theoldbicycleshowroom.co.uk   - ‘Cycling Book of Maintenance’, it’s a 1938 facsimile, priced £8.

Perhaps this new Topic can be expanded to post any other hints and tips on the subject of maintenance/repair etc.….…..safe riding, Geoff.

One and all.….…..clean your bicycle using a car shampoo (DO NOT use domestic washing-up liquids as they contain salts) and a soft brush or sponge, plus an occasional application of car polish.….…..safe riding, Geoff.  

oops … pehaps not the washing up liquid then  … that post slid in while I was composing  

(note to self … edit shopping list for tomorrow … car shampoo lol)

TTFN

Washing up liquid removes any grease or hard to remove dirt, but also exposes the bare paint. You therefore need to apply a good quality car polish to the frame. Autosol is excellent for the chrome. Waxed / polished quarterly, all that’s needed then is a regular quick wash with normal car wash liquid.

Geoff, that tyre sealant will get you home, but its a horrible job removing it. You’re better off carrying a folded spare tube (there’s one in your tin !) which you can pop in should you get a puncture.

Good evening one and all,

Having taken on board comments and checking out the Guv’nor vade-mecum (word in common use in the 20’s & 30’s), I have drawn up a list of kit to carry whilst wafting around the highways and byways.

Latex gloves.

Open ended spanners: 8/10/13/15 mm..

Hex keys: 6/8 mm..

Screwdrivers: medium flat blade, small crosshead - this one is for three speeders.

Puncture repair kit.

Schwalbe tyre levers, set of 3, kinder to those Westwood rims than Brooks metal levers and lighter.

Spare inner tube: Schwalbe AV17.

Tyre pump.

Spare batteries for lights

So what do you think, too much or too little? Stowage is always an issue with carrying tools etc.. I use a Brooks ‘Challenge’ on the cycle and a Rapha ‘Bonk Bag’ across my back.

Safe riding, Geoff.

Autosol is a metal polish

Chrome needs wax or a good wipe with a dry cloth

I am not a car-finishing expert, but have some experience with Autosol and Brasso

I am 41. In the late 1970s, when 11 or 12, my father owned a fantastic car. A 1924 Vauxhall 30–98, the ultimate road car of the early 20s if you were a young fellow of means who had survived The War. The 30–98 could do 85 mph at a time when most cars struggled to 40 or 50. And it was guaranteed to lap Brooklands at 100 mph in stripped form (no mudguards or windscreen — sound like  a Guvnor?).

The Vauxhall also had a body of polished aluminium, no paint, which is where my experience of metal polishes starts.. The Vauxhall took 5 hours of Brasso and rag work. My 11 year old wrists couldn’t handle 5 hours, so I would split it over 2 or 3 after-school sessions.

Autosol also works well on aluminium, but costs alot more than our old friend Brasso.

Chrome will do well with wax, as I found out on the 26″ rims of my BSA Star Flyer, also in the late 70s

With my current BSA ‘Pathracer/Guvnor replica’ I have solved the rim problem by using period black  Westrick wheels

Duchy Wheeler said:

 Guv’nor vade-mecum (word in common use in the 20’s & 30’s), 

.….Is this a new model?

…I have a Hetchins Vade Mecum in my stable,…does this count?

Good evening to you all!

To clean and polish my rides I use a product called “Atlantic Radglanz” (Radglanz = bike shine). The Atlantic company exists since 1922; first producing different oils and greases and nowadays specialized in bike and oldtimer care products. It is easier applied than wax but has the same effect and no negaitve impact on rubber, leather etc. 

My toolkit consists of a Brooks Challenge bag with a small adjustable spanner, a very little multitool (Topeak Mini 9), a tyre lever,a  chain joint and a few Lezyne puncture patches. A small lezyne pump is carried in my shoulder bag.

In my opinion a kit like this should be more than sufficient in terms of roadside repairs.

Cheers

Good evening one and all,

Thought the comments appearing in International Bureaux about multi tools would be better placed and continued in this Forum.

I’ve been looking at these multi tools, but it appears you are getting items you don’t need at the expense of those you do need!

Referring to the Guv’nor Owner’s Manual, I would suggest the very minimum requirment would be: 8/10/15 mm. open ended spanners, 6 mm. hex key and a screwdriver. So my question is, do any of you fellows out there know of a multi tools that would fit the bill?

Safe riding, Geoff.