How I’m spending my corona vacation:
For the first time since I bought it some 5 years ago, my Pinarello FP3 is getting some much needed TLC. Based on Strava, I reckon I have something north of 13,500 miles on it and all I’d changed were tires, tubes, chains, 1 set of shifters and bar-tape.
I got it used from an acquaintance that had purchased a matching set for him and his wife. Turns out his wife hated cycling, and preferred horses. So the bike sat covered in his garage for 3 years until he sold it to me for a bargain price. All carbon-fiber frame & fork; Campagnolo Record 11 group-set; Campagnolo Eurus wheelset; and every bearing is ceramic, excepting those in the pedal bodies.
So, when it started making an audible clicking & creaking sound from the bottom bracket this spring, I knew it was time to get into it deeper. Being blessed with decent mechanical skills, I started with the pedals - Speedplay X2’s. If I’d kept up with them as I should have, they’d likely be perfect still. The only servicing required is to periodically (every 500-600 miles) is to push fresh bearing-grease in from an outboard port, and the old grease will push through 2 cartridge bearings and 1 needle bearing, coming out on the pedal spindle. Well the screws that must be removed from the dust-caps to allow you to put in new grease had rusted. On one side, I worked it loose with WD-40 and an impact driver. The other I never could get out, so had to drill the plastic dust cover and pry it out - replacing it with a new one. Pushed in new grease (a lot!), and they’re doing pretty well now. I do plan to replace all the bearings on each, and swap out the spindle to titanium (from stainless steel) - but not urgent anymore.
But, as some noises persisted, this leads me to the Ultra-Torque bottom-bracket. Ingenious design by Campy, with 2 crankshaft “halves” held together in the middle by a 10mm machine screw. Some amount of liquid-wrench and an extension bar to help with leverage allowed me to get the screw out, separate the 2 halves, and access the 2 bearings - press-fit onto each of the crankshaft halves. Lacking the proper tool to pull the bearings, I figured I service them in place as best I could. On the non-drive side, the seal on the cups was compromised, and the bearing grease was the color of milk chocolate - and had the tell-tale gritty feel when spinning, telling me dirt had entered. The drive-side bearing looked like it had just left the factory.
I flushed them both with Rem Cleaner (great degreasing stuff for gun cleaning by Remmington!). And flushed them; and flushed them; and flushed them. Didn’t get all of the gunk out of the NDS bearing, but the DS one cleaned up good. Used some fresh Park Tool premium grease on both, reassembled, and are good-to-go for now. But both will be replaced in short-order - I just received 2 new Boca Bearing hybrid ceramic replacements that will go on once the pulling/seating tool comes in.
Once these are done, I’m moving to the back wheel. I’m curious to see what the free-hub looks like, and if the bearings are still tight & spinning well. Fortunately, these are easy to service, so hopefully just a flush, clean/dry, re-grease, and back in business. If the free-hub is slotted and ready for replacement - and if those bearings are worse than I hope, then it may be time for a new wheelset. Although these are great wheels, the rim brakes are taking their toll on the rim itself. If I have to pull the trigger on wheels, then I’m eyeing a set of Yoeleo carbon wheels, which come factory direct for about the same as upper-end Fulcrum, Mavic, or Campy aluminum alloy wheels, but lighter in weight and more aerodynamic.
In the meantime, I’ve done 3 rides since the pedal and BB bearing work, and the noises are NEARLY all gone. Did 41 miles at just under 18 mph yesterday afternoon as a solo rider (social distancing at its max!), and 34 this morning in a small group of 3, and we managed to get the average up to 19.4 mph - not bad for an old guy, and being only the 3rd of May!
7.5 miles today,
Today I finally registered my bicycle with the police. That way if it gets stolen there is at least a very small chance I will get it back.
I been watching a webpage listing street corners/places where the police do this. A few previous opportunities passed because other things came up. But this morning I saw a nice nearby location.
So the funny thing (funny now) was that the cop asked me where I want the sticker. I pointed to the front and there please. Which would have been really nice above my headlight with a cool "Berlin Police" emblem on it yet under the PEGASUS logo.
He no it needs to be seen.
Which just plain stupid.
Then he goes to where the seat post is. So I pointed to an empty space and here please.
To my horror his hand drifts down from there to where printed text/specs of my 1,100+ euro bicycle is.
So I said up there is good.
His hand went up but then difted down again and he put the sticker partially covering "STRONG" the is on both sides which pissed me off.
I told him thank you and then later scrapped off the ends of the sticker with a key and now it is ok.
But I could of had a cool police sticker where I wated it if not for the stupid police.
