Huff & Puff

Obviously I’m not getting any younger.  Since resuming cycling three years ago I’ve managed to break two hand operate bicycle tyre pumps.  It’s probably a combination of cheap pumps and excessive force, likely due to exhaustion! 

Interestingly, since purchasing the first pump I’ve not experienced a puncture whilst riding.  However I’ve needed to reinflate tubes after replacing worn tyres and the airline has required the tyres to be deflated for transport.

A number of years ago an Australian company invented the first small battery operated bicycle pump.  They then made the usual mistake of having it manufactured in China.  The pump was a success and it didn’t take long for their concept to be copied. 

One potential issue with the original design (and a number of clones) was the lack of an inbuilt air pressure gauge.  To check the required pressure had been achiever the pump needed to be disconnect and a separate gauge used.

Finally a Chinese manufacturer has produced a derivative of the pump with a display and at a price I’m prepared to pay.

It was delivered today. 

It was well packaged and upon opening the box the first thing I noticed was the comprehensive manual; a Quick Guide and the pump in a silicon case

Underneath the pump were several valve attachments and a USB-c charging cable.

A – Presta hose

B – soft spacer

C – Needle attachment for ball inflation

D – Schrader Valve Attachment

E – Presta attachment

Both our bikes have Presta valves.  I could therefore use either A or E.  I’ve opted for A

When turned on the display shows the tube pressure, battery state and the pump mode.  The modes are Bicycle, Motorbike and Ball.

The functions of three buttons below the screen are:

Left – Increase pressure in increments of 0.5psi

Centre – On/Off and change mode

Right – Decrease pressure in increments of 0.5psi

The default pressure setting is 45psi

The pump will operate continuously for 2.5 minutes before automatically turning off.  It can’t be reused for 8 minutes.  This enables the pump to cool.  2.5 minutes should be enough time for me to reinflate at least two tyres.  Well I only have two!!

The specifications state recharging time is less than 1.5 hours.

I have three options when it comes to a recharging source. 

1. Use a mains powered USB charger
2. Use one of my portable power banks
3. Use the USB socket on the Bafang motor battery

The final step in this project was to identify a suitable location to carry the pump on the bike.  The handlebar bag was the most obvious location.  Eventually I opted to secure it under the saddle and save some space in the bag.  Hopefully it won’t need to be used and will just be one of those items you wish you had when you need one!

Stupid Welsh

Not the people of Wales.  It’s the daffodils!  The idiots haven’t realised it’s only the last day of autumn and they are already more than a foot out of the ground!

The rain bucketed down last night (well rained heavily for Perth).  Jan heard hail during the night and the morning TV news showed 10cm thick hail in the south of the city.  What a novelty!  We didn’t experience any damage, however my brother had his outdoor table glass top blown off.  He was cleaning up the mess when I phoned to enquire if he was OK.

I’m scheduled to depart on another long outback trip in eight days and am hoping the rain hasn’t turned the route into a quagmire.

Whoever installed the original pantry power socket needs a good kick at the bottom end of their elementary canal.  The cut-out in the block wall is too big for the plastic box.  I decided to attempt to secure the box with the last of the splashback adhesive.  If that doesn’t work I’ll probably have to make some type of mounting plate and fit it into the cavity. 

A problem with the bicycle gears may have been identified and solved.

For several weeks the Shimano Alfine 11 speed rear hub has been intermittently missing gears.  Everything is fine from gears 1 to 7 but 8 to 11 are frequently missing,  The pedals just spin!  Sometimes I can engage a gear after a ‘clunk’ or grinding sound.

The wheels was removed and the hub disassembled before being placed in the ultrasonic cleaner.  During reassembly the bearings were greased and new oil added.  It didn’t solve the problem! 

Next I bought a new gear cable in the hope the original one was defective.  That didn’t work either!

I tried adjusting the gear cable using the adjuster screw (this is called ‘Indexing’).  Tightening the cable gave me gears 8 to 11 but I list gears 2,3,4,&5.  My concern was something had broken inside the hub.  That would be very expensive.

Looking for the simple thing first (and the cheapest) I decided to replace the sheath through which the gear cable runs.  Much of the sheath is inside the frame of the bike.

That was when I discovered a potential cause of my issue.  Where the sheath exits the upper part of the bike frame it was kinked and crushed.

Enters the frame though this hole.

     

Kinked and crushed.

I replaced both the sheath and gear cable before adjusting the gears.  During this operation a second issue was identified.  where the sheath exits the bottom of the frame it crossed over the hydraulic line to the rear brake.  This was also compressing the sheath.  Re-routing the sheath solved this.

On reflection the issues were created by two separate activities.   The kink and crushing of the sheath was likely caused by me when I raised the height of the handlebars by adding a stem extension.  This shortened the length of the sheath creating a pinch point when the handlebars turned fully to the right.   The second problem was likely caused by the Taiwanese bike mechanics in Hualien.  They replaced the hydraulic brake lines and probably didn’t realised they had crossed the gear cable sheath.

I need some fine weather to do a test ride and confirm all the gears have been restored.