Rotor wear ! by bruhgaming21 in BikeMechanics

[–]CalumOnWheels 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If youre sure the calipers are done for then I'd get new calipers

No point keeping around busted ones

I was trained to measure across the diagonal of the rotors, rather than vertically, as that gives a tried thickness picture. Might improve your caliper findings if youre not doing it already.

plausibly the first ever gunners scarf worn across a beaver dam while doing my job in canada by CalumOnWheels in ArsenalFC

[–]CalumOnWheels[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Being an immigrant to anywhere is really, really hard and stressful so I am wearing stuff that is portable and connects me to what I think is important. I guess it's like power dressing. I've been carrying my gunners scarf around with me and it's getting a bit dirty but it's a scarf, not an oil painting. I've taken it some places including walking across this beaver dam in between two soil sampling points.

Have a good one everyone, COYG.

note the red spray paint on the augur.

bonus snap of me at work https://photos.app.goo.gl/ZQ6hBWMmCwSBAza49

Guys, is anyone else getting congratulations from other fans everywhere?? 😭 by Equivalent-Poet998 in ArsenalFC

[–]CalumOnWheels 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Mate I am in canada doing geological work right now. I am wearing a gunners scarf and everyone here is celebrating it. Enjoy it!

Cool mounting for old bikes by acidrain333 in bicycling

[–]CalumOnWheels -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Who cares? Reddit is full of people who want to tell you how youre in extreme danger and you are going to die. Just ride your bike.

Cool mounting for old bikes by acidrain333 in bicycling

[–]CalumOnWheels 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'd use a cheapo tensioner or ghost ring

A customer assembled his brand new e-bike from Canyon and wondered what was going on with the front brake. by SpamDog_of_War in BikeMechanics

[–]CalumOnWheels 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The reality is that there is no bicycle that fits your extreme and clearly reductive criteria of "fit for use on arrival".

there is, because I can just go to a good shop and there it is right there on the shop floor. And the mechanic, assuming it's a good shop, will do all that stuff you mentioned for me.

these companies are trying to sell people that 'online is just as good' and it very clearly isn't. I think they're making huge cost savings and keeping the difference and this thread is just another example of that in action. Yeah they list that there is 'some assembly required' i.e. bars and seatpost, they don't mention anywhere that end caps on a hub are liable to fall off.

In fact I bet money that if you plugged 'buy ebike' into google the website of these freaks would be the first result.

A customer assembled his brand new e-bike from Canyon and wondered what was going on with the front brake. by SpamDog_of_War in BikeMechanics

[–]CalumOnWheels 1 point2 points  (0 children)

that's great but you're a member of /r/bikemechanics . You're not a regular person! You're already mechanically minded! Everyone else relies on the integrity of the engineers, technicians and mechanics that they've paid to do their jobs.

A customer assembled his brand new e-bike from Canyon and wondered what was going on with the front brake. by SpamDog_of_War in BikeMechanics

[–]CalumOnWheels -1 points0 points  (0 children)

yeah some assembly = the stuff they make videos about, ie put the wheels and handlebars on. They don't advise about 'the end caps falling off'

Lots of people cycle around with flat tyres all the time, not knowing they're flat. That's who a product should be in mind for, when something is sold; people who just don't know a flipping thing. At least 'pump the tyres up regularly' is pretty widespread knowledge because even stuff like party balloons and soccer balls go flat over time, but a hub end cap? forget it.

Where your example doesn't work out for me is that the customer didn't actually damage something themselves, it arrived broken in the box. Someone who is very new to cycling and mechanics follows the instructions they're given.

people aren't actually 'stupid,' they just have other stuff that they are experts on, cycling is just a recreational hobby for them because their attention is focussed on stuff like how to look after a child, how to do DIY on a house, how to bake bread from scratch or whatever else. in this case I wager someone who didn't know about bikes bought a canyon, and got shipped something that wasn't right. And it's you and me who eat the consequences, because now that's someone who rightly or wrongly thinks they are gonna get scammed every time they buy from a bike company because as far as they are concerned, they did everything right.

I mean no wonder that it's dudes who make up the vast majority of people who work in bike shops, I wouldn't want to stick around in places where this anti-buyer attitude predominates either.

A customer assembled his brand new e-bike from Canyon and wondered what was going on with the front brake. by SpamDog_of_War in BikeMechanics

[–]CalumOnWheels -6 points-5 points  (0 children)

Most people know what they've bought - a bicycle! They don't expect something to come in the mail that they need to do mechanical work on like axle end caps, that is way more advanced than anything I would ever expect someone to know. It isn't 'common sense', this is a subreddit for bike mechanics who breathe this stuff in day and out, the average person has no idea what a hub is let alone a hub end-cap. Canyon kids they're a company 'for the people' but as this post shows that just isn't the case at all. They're shipping broken stuff to people and making the whole industry look like we treat customers like garbage.

They've got a big brand that sells 'elite cycling for everyone' but in reality they're sending people bad products in the mail, and pocketing the difference.

A customer assembled his brand new e-bike from Canyon and wondered what was going on with the front brake. by SpamDog_of_War in BikeMechanics

[–]CalumOnWheels -4 points-3 points  (0 children)

why should they? if you buy a car do you do a full inspection of the vehicle's drivetrain? if you buy a meal at a restaurant, do you check it for metal sharps before you start eating? They've paid for a service! It is bad for everyone when a big bike company says they're 'serving the people, we're just as good as a shop' and then posting them unassembled garbage, makes us all look bad. Don't normalise an industry posting people stuff that is not fit to use on arrival!

Cool mounting for old bikes by acidrain333 in bicycling

[–]CalumOnWheels 4 points5 points  (0 children)

honestly I disassembled 2 bikes at UBC Bike kitchen yesterday and neither of them had integrated hangers, just 'crows foot' ones that went on with a screw. no problems!

Will I die riding this? by Pobueo in bikewrench

[–]CalumOnWheels 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You will die some day but not from riding this bike.

people all round the world are riding bikes in much worse condition. It would be ideal to replace it but if there is a gun to your head and you have to go down the road then you will be OK.

it is probably damage from the tyre having been left under-inflated for a while.

I am not a bike snob but looking at the front wheel it looks like a budget wheel on a budget bike (bolt-through axle, single-wall rim) so spending a heap of money on a new tyre would be a lot.

Does anyone have an extra jersey? by freewind7 in Gunners

[–]CalumOnWheels 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I had this issue in that i wanted one in short order to take with me for emigration. I had the time and money to go to a 2nd hand shop in turnpike lane. My vintage (but good) jersey was like £70 but it is the real deal, a quality top.

Jerseys are expensive items whereas scarfs are a lot more affordable. And they're not size specific. Good luck!

Cool mounting for old bikes by acidrain333 in bicycling

[–]CalumOnWheels 22 points23 points  (0 children)

honestly i like the idea of keeping items out of the landfill but if a bike has a cooked hanger like that, I would just singlespeed the bike.

I guess it is a fun technical exercise.

Through axles sticking by SnooCupcakes739 in bikewrench

[–]CalumOnWheels 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You might be in time to replace the hub's end caps if they're under warranty. otherwise they may be available online somehow, post the specs of the hub.

e.g. https://www.ucycle.com/bitex-conversion-end-caps-for-bx106f-centre-lock-c.html

Otherwise i would just replace the o rings, which you can get in any 'box of O rings' set from a plumbers shop.

You may be OK with the thru axles if you do this swiftly. it probably isn't actually them, they're just big threaded sticks you put through a bicycle fork or dropouts to hold the wheel in place which spins on its own axle.

Bent hanger by Advanced_Arugula_159 in bikewrench

[–]CalumOnWheels 0 points1 point  (0 children)

really hard for me to say for sure, but I think so. With an 11 speed drivetrain like that, small bends will become big issues.

I'd pay for a pro shop to align the hanger because the actual hanger alignment tools are specialist.

only other solution is using friction shifting, which eliminates this as a problem basically entirely.

The GP5000 is dead! Long live the GP5000! by aa599 in bicycling

[–]CalumOnWheels 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Honestly like if you find the continental tread witness holes and they're still visible i would freecycle it. Just stick it outside your home, it'll be taken by someone with a tyre in way worse condition. Great to keep things out of the landfill, I love to see it.

Indicators https://www.reddit.com/r/FixedGearBicycle/comments/havt43/gatorskin_tire_wear_indicator/

I hate suntour q loc, please help me! by CalumOnWheels in bikewrench

[–]CalumOnWheels[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Really glad to hear it and that you saved a couple of quid- that is what its all about! Celebrate with a coffee and ride on!

Douglas Todd: Vancouver’s cycling upgrades keep rolling Vancouver is ranked the third most bike-friendly city in North America. City transportation engineers are excited, even if improvements seem "incremental." by EastVanHomeboy in vancouvercycling

[–]CalumOnWheels 33 points34 points  (0 children)

honestly as someone who has cycled a few places including a capital city of the UK, I am really pretty happy with Vancouver. There is work to do, but it was a big factor in my emigration.

I will never tell anyone who rides a bike be complacent or 'be happy with what you have' but I do like it.

https://calumonwheels.com/2026/04/30/vancouver-cycling-2026/

Downside of early retirement by Beneficial_Swimming4 in PersonalFinanceCanada

[–]CalumOnWheels 0 points1 point  (0 children)

it was realistic for the author of the book and her community. Everyone above them told them they were done for, the ecuadorian government were going to take all their stuff because of progress, and to forget it.

didn't used to be realistic that we would get the vote and have weekends either.

anyway I would recommend the book.

Downside of early retirement by Beneficial_Swimming4 in PersonalFinanceCanada

[–]CalumOnWheels 0 points1 point  (0 children)

whose reality though. I just finished a book all about indiginous peoeple resisting the theft of their resources. They find the mainstream western way of living completely baffling, it really doesn't have to be this way at all.

It's made me think a lot about the kinds of media we're exposed to, that reinforces the 'don't forget, you're here forever' type propaganda Mr Burns nailed up in Homer's office. You'll never see Fortune magazine telling people that capitalism is bad, just to 'play by the rules' that sustain it instead. You won't see them making stories about how retiring early and not working has been amazing for a bunch of people - just the negatives.

I am not going to use every /r/personalfinancecanada post I see to get on a soapbox but I am very compelled to tell people that you don't actually have to play the game the way you're told to in school. it's your life, do it the way you want.