trike maintenance

4.20: proj.gear/trike/delivered:

. deflate front tires to add slime;

where's the valve`stem remover?

use the plastic one that's on the mako

(came with pre-slimed tubes) .

. the back is already deflated (as they said all would be)

but it also has no cap on the valve?

and it has no air-seal either!

there's a rip on the inside .

. perhaps they thought it would be

more efficient to just give me a

spare tire and a patch kit,

to warrant leaving the ripped one in place .

. they may have had some new help

who was not following the instructions about

leaving them uninflated,

or their new strategy is to quickly do tires

with tire.irons instead of carefully,

and then compensate by inflating

to see if it got pinched during the rush .

. since I ran out of slime

by the time I got to the back tire,

I decided to turn the ripped tube

into a thorn protector, by slicing out the valve,

and placing it between tire and inner tube .

I was slightly dismayed with the

quick-release on the front tires:

unlike the backtire, they are not suspended on forks,

so instead of just popping off the quick release,

you have to completely unscrew it .

but there is still an advantage to the quick release,

because you can avoid having to

torque and untorque on threads .

seat more reclined:

. if you did want the seat more reclined,

the rear body is a sliding boom

just like the front,

and it might slide far eno' back

so that the chair`back`hook could catch

the top crossbar of the chair`back

instead of the middle crossbar .

. conversely, you could keep the seat where it was

yet contract the rear boom

to use the other hole for the quick-release skewer .

. this would give you more chain,

and put more weight on the back tire .

. note damage on fender is rather inevitable:

you have to tighten it well

or it would strip during bouncy trips,

then the tightener's soft, and has tiny teeth,

as if for hand tightening,

so when it gets tightened with pliers

it looks all chewed up .

adjust boom:

. I sure am glad I got those crank shorteners,

but it means I can extend the boom further,

which is stretching the limits of my chain:

there's a lot of gears I can't reach now

(can't engage the larger rings on both the front and back

at the same time).

try shoes with toeclips(powergrips):

. tighten toeclips -- these have holes punched

for discrete increments

unlike the ones I got separately from nashbar.com;

and I'm wondering if one is more secure than the other .

test ride:

. quite a time getting used to the gearing

(being unable to push-off,

if you accidently stop in a high gear,

you'll have to get out and manually change gears)

get serial #'s .

assemble faring:

. the instructions didn't mention

how I should use the rubber strips;

but they don't fit well between

the tubes and cartilage piece,

so I put them on the upper connection,

on the upper and lower points

between the band and tubes .

. it said to reverse the directions of the band,

but I thought it was easier to tighten them

when both were on the left

(opposite the front`derailleur).

. to get the bands on more quickly,

I removed the front`derailleur .

. the fairing can sit much lower

now that I got those crank shorteners,

I don't think I'll need to see throught it,

so I can cover it with [uv-shield and insulation] .

but if I do need to see through it,

there are uv-resistant stick-on films at home depot .

4.20: proj.gear/tire pump:

. look at electric pump to fix hand pump .

the tip on the hand pump is broken,

but on the electric pump`s tip is crimped into place?

try to find a 12v transformer,

maybe easier to try getting 12v off backup power`s batt?

check the other end if hose connection,

that does screw into place,

so I can cut out the tubing along with the tip from the electric,

and then swap out the tube onto the hand pump .

. a piece of rubber fell out? stuff it back in there .

try the fixed pump:

. the piece that had fallen out was not reseated flatly,

so then its back.pressure valve would not work

and any pressure you put into the tire

would push the handle back up, leak around the handle,

and the guage wouldn't stay at the current pressure,

only during the acceleration, it would spike to higher levels .

. redoing that rubber stopper installation,

it worked ok .

4.20: proj.trike/tires pumped:

todo: hit all the trike tires again;

. what is the pressure to use? 70psi for stock tires,

but generally

it depends on what the tire says on the sidewall .

4.23: mis.mobi/trike/double flat tube set:

. back tire seems more flat than when I left it?

hope I wasn't paying attention then .

. inflate all tires to 70psi

[4.24: back tire will prove flat]

. the rear tire is leaking?

. if walmart has safety flags,

then I can get new innertubes there too;

so plan to call soon about flags .[yes!]

4.23: proj.mobi/trike/adjustments:

. vary handlebars inward and forward

to maximize turning radius tighteness .

. bring rear boom inward:

now have more chain to go in large rings

also made rear finder more sensible .

4.24: aq.gear/walmart#kolb&speedway:

. slime 16oz /8.88

4 inner tubes thick slime-filled /9.96

tire.liner slime`flat protector 2 /9.88

--[4.26: . put both on back tire since not easy to see that's flat ] .

4.25: tech.mobi/trike/foot-fall accident prevention:

. rowers have shoes built into the boat

. use some old shoe that you can

shoehorn into without lacing .

. may depend on how much floor the shell can have .

todo.mobi/trike/toe.clip`heal.strap:

. add a heal strap that is connected by

being an ankle loop that is

connected by a single strap

that loops around the toe-clipping strap .

4.27: mobi/tires/reusing the flats:

. use the 2 flats as thorn liners

split down their inside middle

to fit around innertube .

4.27: mobi/tire liners/may need some finishwork:

. melting the tire.liner` ends,

may help to reduce innertube abrasion[?] .

4.27: mis.trike/tire pumps are easy to destroy:

. crazy and awful luck with all 3 pumps!

got pump grease all over hands? reminds of dioxin threat,

wash a lot, and dried-out chala hands,

4.30: trike/seat/straps adjusted:

. adjust the seat tight

and to keep the strap ends from hanging in the chain

loop each end back through its buckle and knot it .

4.30: mis.gear/spinning rubber on the wax floor:

. spinning rubber on the wax floor was

turned the wax into a

rubber-black thick hard mess,

like liquifying the wax, adding rubber,

and then hardening it again .

todo.gear/wax: [fwd]

. floor has baked on black marks that don't soap-scrub out?

try acetone: ok, but

that took the wax off too .

5.1: proj.mobi/trike/handlebars:

. the riser bars coming out of the horz'handlebar were loose,

and I found it took pliers to tighten the quick releases eno'

so that when locked down they would actually hold the riserbars in place .

. there was some diff' in the amount of turning circle

which was due to the seat not being centered -- fixed .

5.1: proj.mobi/trike/parking brake:

. the brake has a problems with the pads being crooked when a clip is inserted?

try it without, and it straightens out?

remove the clip for now, and pict an markings to find the manual online .

. with the pads straight the action can be very tight,

so the brake works as intended:

it has a lock button on it that keeps the handle depressed

so you can use it as a parking brake without strapping it down with the velcro .

(that is the way the maker provides for one of the stock brakes

to serve as a parking brake)

5.1: clip removed:

. mov strange clip from parking brake to parts box/pump nozzle bag .

5.1: clip reinstalled:

. edit picts to get info about

. find disk brake (avid bb5) manual: Disc Brake Pad Installation BB5 (pdf)

. there is a clip that was removable and which caused

one of the pads to be noisily angled;

that clip is called the pad spreader,

and on either side of it are red handles that are part of each pad .

. I found the name of the brake on this red button,

and to remove the pads, rotate that red button counterclockwise,

then when the pad spreader is removed,

the pads can be removed one at a time (push on their handles) .

. they said it was very important to reinstall that pad spreader clip;

but commenters to a review said these are great brakes

except for taking a 1000+ miles to stop being noisy .

. at high speed, without the clip,

would it make the pad flutter against the disk?

keep it in, even if the action will not be as tight .

. giving it a little bend so it had less spring,

I was able to get it right .

proj.mobi/trike`deraileur/spoke guard:

5.5:

. since I didn't trust that some accident

wouldn't push the chain off the lowest gear and between set and spokes

-- grinding the spokes and costing a new wheel build --

I tried nailing the limit screw all the way

so that the lowest gear would serve as the chain guard .

. this does work:

there is so much variability that it's nicely alligned

with the next-lowest gear .

5.10:

. the trike doesn't have rear deraileur guard

for in case the chain gets pushed over the lowest gear

but this can be made fabricated by

repeatedly winding rope round the spokes, and up,

until building up the right thickness:

creating a shelf that stops the chain from being wedged

between the spoke`base and the cogset .

5.12:

. see if there's a chain guard on the shelf before making one,

and if making one,

can replace woven string idea with foam like for the hubs .

. spoke guards are commonly called spoke protectors .

. real men pay attention to tuning,

is why it's often not std .

. here we see styrene and zip ties being used .

5.11: proj.mobi/trike/steering adjust:

. move trike rear brake control,

re-adjust handlebars to get tightest steering .

re do:

. can the cables be made to stay out of the way?

they are not easily tied down wo lengthening the cable

or stopping full steer .

5.27: proj.mobi/trike/rear.reflector:

. replace the trikes stock sticker with usa's usual reflector .

. the fender is very soft, so drill the bolt hole by

rotating a utility knife .

6.19: mobi/trike/maint/chain/needs a master link not a chain tool:

. the chain I have now is not like past tech:

it can be super-narrow only because it puts a head on each rivet,

but that means the use of a tool chain will destroy the rivet:

the tool chain is now useful only for shortening the chain;

connecting the chain requires a master link .

6.24: proj.gear/mobi/trike/transmission has mystery noises:

. the transmission is making funny clicks that seem related to front chain

but I couldn't find a problem,

maybe help if some other rides while I look at it .

proj.gear/mobi/trike/front derailleur adjusted:

. from trying to use the trainer

I discovered that the front derailleur had gotten to a state

where the high gear was not reachable,

so to make it usable again,

I read the manual, and changed both its position on the post,

the limits, and the cable position .

proj.mobi/trike/maint/pedal`bearings exploration:

8.17:

. did find 8mm, but truvative bottom bracket bearing has unexpected design,

. my bottom bracket is loose;

and, I've never fit the chainset to the bottom bracket bearings;

because, my dealer did that for me .

. ICE says the BB comes already installed,

but the left cup of this one is loose .

. it's spline-shaped with dimples;

like it uses a special tool to tighten it .

[park`bbt9 tool = truvativ gxp tool]

. when I unscrew the hex bolt on the right crank arm,

there is an over-hanging edge that is

not letting the bolt come out;

perhaps this is meant to act as a crankarm puller ?

[yes, that's the crankbolt assembly's self-extractor;

a 10mm bolt that screws on top of the 8mm bolt]

so if I keep unscrewing the bolt, the crankarm will be removed .

. trying to find the manual,

utahtrikes.com says the type of truvativ BB I have is a firex,

(truvativ FireX 48/36/26 170mm)

[8.18: to see that for myself,

I would have had to remove the pre-installed crankshorteners ]

and with that I can google for the

truvativ FireX manual (pdf) .

isis drive bottom bracket splines:

GXP (Giga X Pipe) external-bearing BB system

8.18:

. doesn't mention type of grease unless your BB is titanium,

then it needs titanium anti-seize;

a recent other source suggested white lithium

was the prefered automotive-sourced grease .

bk"sram 2008 manual (includes gxp ref)/cranksets with gxp BB:

8.17: sram'manual:

. gxp needs park`bbt9 tool or any truvativ tool equiv' .

8.18: however,

. the parktool`bb-t9 is not a module that can be

plugged into a torque wrench .

. one that does plug in is

Truvativ ISIS Drive Bottom Bracket Tool - 1/2" Drive (TL2340) $20.00

-- all firex crankarm models use the isis drive interface(pdf) .

. both sides of the crank bearings are torqued to 34..41 nm (301..363 in*lbs) .

then the crank bolt is torqued at 48..54 nm .

truvative gxp (giga x pipe) manual (included in sram 2008 manual)(pdf)

-- 2004.10.27 rev 5;

older version: 2004.5.20 rev 2 giga pipe installation and spacer config(pdf)

obs: sram 2007 spec's(pdf)

bk.mobi/trike/maint/BB:

. bbt-19 allows use of torque wrench

73mm bb shell width and clamp-on deraileur type means

cups get one spacer on left side .

-- that is what I have in place .

proj:

. explore broke tool fixed loose

but need tool to finish .

8.25: gear/pencil magnet (for rear hub servicing):

. to get bearings out (not needed for sealed bearings):

. make pencil magnet by adding strong magnet to

allen wrench or metal rod .

8.25: bk:

. instr's for rear brake tell torx bolt size for bits needed,

13,15 mm cone wrenches for rear .

8.26: capreo shimano manual:

. needs 17, 15mm spanners .

. strange, after viewing this (www.ice.hpv.co.uk/pdfs/

Instructions-for-stripping-ICE-custom-rear-hub.pdf)

-- how to grease the cassette`ratchet mechanism --

it appears there's no way to grease rear hub's bearings

... it looks like a sealed-bearing hub; because .. it is !

(www.ice.hpv.co.uk/pdfs/ICE_Trice_flyer_2_09_web.pdf)

. when the ICE`manual (www.ice.hpv.co.uk/pdfs/qt_susp_manual.pdf)

says the rear hub requires greasing

they are not referring to bearings

but instead the interface between the cassette`body`ratchets

and the hub`splines that catch the ratchet teeth .

. here is what shimano says on the matter(pdf):

"( If the wheel becomes stiff and difficult to turn,

you should lubricate it with grease.

Do not apply any grease to the inside of the hub,

otherwise the grease will come out again.

...

Replacement of the freewheel body [cassette`body]:

After removing the hub axle,

[ie, after removing the rear wheel from the frame;

and/or removing the quick-release skewer from the axle

]

remove the freewheel body fixing bolt (inside the freewheel body),

and then replace the freewheel body.

Note:

Do not attempt to disassemble the freewheel body,

because it may result in a malfunction.

[ -- ICE does the opposite of this:

they leave the [freewheel body fixing bolt] in place,

and then instead disassemble the freewheel body ]

[!] pict: (

. shows the the [Freewheel body fixing bolt]

being unscrewed from hub to release the [Freewheel body]

with the "(10 mm Allen key (TL-WR37))

and "(Tightening torque : 35 - 50 Nám {305 - 434 in. lbs.} )

)-pict

)-shimano

. it seems like shimano and ICE are talking about diff'nt versions:

. the shimano pict drawing shows the [Freewheel body fixing bolt]

to be something that screws into the axle,

whereas the ICE photo's show the same part appearing to be the axle .

8.28: web.gear/trike`tools:

summary:

. torx needed for trice are T8, T25 .

. consider places to buy -- includes www.toolsource.com

with better prices at www.sjdiscounttools.com;

do window shopping for wrench, calipers,

and 3/8" Drive Metric Hex Bit Socket Set .

[8.30: later realize I need to check bbb] .

torx needs:

. minoura dura bottle cage has torx bolts? t8:

Minoura Dura-Cage 4.5mm T8 Ti Finish with Alloy Bolts (WC2020)

. torx t25 7nm torque at disk rotor

torque wrench suppliers:

(with notes of what else they provide of what I need)

$124.95 Precision Instruments C2FR68N 3/8 In Dr

Split Beam Click Type Torque Wrench - 14-68 Nm

. compare .

$36 Fowler 72-030-006 - Inch/Metric Dial Caliper; 0-6/155mm

S K Hand Tools 81823 - Bit Tamperproof Torx T-25 for SKT42525

$10 ATD Tools 181 7-Piece 3/8" Drive Metric Hex Bit Socket Set

3..8, 10 mm Hex Bit Socket,

8.30: who can you trust?

. need to find an on-line dealer with bbb membership:

www.toolsource.com:

no but bbb grades them (A)

www.sjdiscounttools.com:

no but grade A-

www.mechanicstoolsupply.com:

yes, and grade A-

Name: Mechanics Tool Supply, Inc.

Phone: (888) 987-4853

Fax: (888) 987-7007

Address: 879 Joliet St # 324 Dyer, IN 46311-1920

. there's another site that claims to be them?

who? anon (Private, Registration via DomainsByProxy.com)

a winner!

8.30: aq.gear/www.mechanicstoolsupply.com/order:

torque wrench 3/8-Inch Split Beams Scaled in newton-meters C2FR68N / $123.99

OTC6170 7-Piece Metric Hex Bit Socket Set OTC 6170 OTC6170 / $20.99

Freight: $11.20

[. they made me sign to accept the socket set only

as if it included the torque wrench,

and then had the wrench-make send the wrench direct

which didn't pay for must-sign shipping service .

2010.1.6:

. perhaps the signature was simply to get some verification

that the guy who used my credit card

was actually signing for things at the indicated physical address .

(I was thinking the point was guarding against

theft after delivery to front door) . ]

8.30: web.gear/bike-specific tools:

. no bbb or whois on Harris Cyclery-West Newton, Massachusetts Bicycle Shop

but trust it anyway? ok;

however, they are out of a key tool:

Shimano Capreo Cassette Lockring Tool (TL-HG09) $15.95

. they do have:

Shimano Capreo 9-26 9-speed $59.95

Wheels Mfg Chain whip 3/32" CRT-A1 (TL006) $16.95

SRAM/Sachs PowerLink 9-Speed Master Link (CH1061) $4.95

9.9.1:

9.2: web.trice/tools and chain:

. a nashbar.com sale on the chains I already use:

Nashbar Recumbent 9speed Chain 232 Links

. Park Tool Cyclone Chain Scrubber PT-CM5 $24.95

-- but this might get solvent inside the hub .

[no, put it on the smallest gear and have a rag on exit?]

9.4: horn:

. rechargeable boat horn called the Ecoblast

is better than what nashbar has .

9.7:

. finished up at nashbar:

lube may have a reusable drip bottle

for applying spray lube in drips to chain .

9.3: tech.trike/keep degreaser out of the rear hub:

. remove back wheel, [hanging the trike rear by ?]

then clean the chain while running the chain on

just the derailleur cogs .

9.19: proj.trice/{BB, crank`bolt} fixed:

. find tools, find spec's (mis: one log`note

was confusing {BB, crank`bolt} torque values) .

. redo crank bolt,

retighten bb bearings to spec .

9.30: bk.gear/trike`maint/parktool`cyclone chain scrubber#CM-5:

. parktool#RBS-5 is replacement brush set .

. fill to line with chainbrite park tool cb-2 cleaning fluid;

repeat with water and dishwashing soap .

. the sponge is removable for cleaning .

. don't keep the cleaning fluid stored in the scrubber

(it may degrade parts in addition to being air pollution)

. reading cleaning fluid instructions for disposal .

9.30: bk.gear/trike`maint/park tool# BBT-19:

. I don't have italian threads in BB,

the drive side (right side) was turning left to tighten

. made from investment cast steel for long life .

. works with 3/8 torque wrench .

10.3: proj.trike/chain brite in glass jar,

10.6: proj.trice/maint/chain:

. degrease other new chain

drip-dry 1st chain by inverting its jar .

10.7: proj.trice/maint/chain:

. grease with dry lube .

. cln and dry 2nd new chain .

removed old from trike:

. removed old chain,

found it's more than 2ft longer than stock recumbent chain,

need to use original chain halves to extend the new chains .

todo: [done]

. the old chain is 2 parts but one is shorter,

so see if that shortest can extend a new chain to needed length .

finish clean & lube:

... yes, shorter part is usable (but, dont need to measure:

try the shortest, else need to set aside and buy new one ) .

mis:

. the chains were hanging from a portable clothes hanger

parked in the garage, and for the last chain

I was lubing really heavy

thinking the chain was still wet,

and it might take a bit to get in .

. the chains were well cleaned,

but the lube that dropped did stain the garage's cement .

reinstall:

. not sure if this chain tool was meant for 9-speed chains;

they have wide headed rivets,

and hand force wasn't doing it .

. I first tried cutting the chain but the chain pin was tenacious;

then I tried using the chain tool again:

using a diamond file to narrow the tool's pin .

. while trying that without initial success,

I then tried getting some leverage on the hand tool,

driving it's handle with pliars, and that did it .

mis:

. this rear derailleur has a lot of loops to weave through!

fortu'ly, I was having an easy time of using the master link .

10.8: cleanup after lube:

. soap garage chain drip .

proj.trice/maint/chain/master link/practice link:

. ok, glad I read about how to

avoid problems with this .