DaveB said:.... ping DOH! ... ping ping ping [censored] ... ping ping AAAGH ... ping SON
OF A ... ping.
Ah the joys of bicycle maintenance. This was the sweet sound in my
workshop this afternoon as I removed the bottom bracket on my MTB
without an old towel underneath to catch any stray ball bearings, as the
majority of the ball bearings fell out and onto a tiled floor. It's
amazing how many different directions they could go. After 20 mins on my
hands and knees I gave up and wandered up to the LBS for two sets in
cages for the grand total of $6, never to worry about bouncing bearings
again (well, until I do the wheel hubs next).
DaveB "with a tale of the LBS to warm mfhor's heart"
You have TILES in you WORKSHOP!?! You'd have to be careful where you threw the shifter when [censored], then . . . 😉
Seriously, unless you're a low-friction geek, a sealed unit is worth it's weight. I think the one in the tourer is just about to go after about 50000 k's, and I've only tightened the cups up once (9 years, give or take). it cost $75 in 1995 money, so .15 c/km (is that right?) Plus labour time not repacking bearings. What are the figures like with cup and cone B/Bs? I'd be interested to make a comparison. Say, $4 a set of bearings, repack every 6 months at 1/2 hr, $45/hr; tools, tool depreciation; grease, no, I couldn't be bothered.
M "not as much a romantic as people make out" H