Before touching anything else,
pop the bike on the ground, slacken the quick release and ensure the wheel’s
correctly seated within the dropouts. Snug the quick release down and close the
lever.
Double check by lifting the rear
wheel (popping the bike in a tune up stand, such as this Topeak, makes this and
any subsequent tweaking much simpler.) In this instance, everything was
behaving impeccably, so this left frame flex. It only happened under load, say
when accelerating and would then smooth out. Thru axles are much stiffer,
largely eliminating this issue.
Some deliberation and a quicker
wander round the web suggested slipping a 3mm Allen key in the pad adjusters
and backing the pads out fractionally either side. This would buy a smidge more
gap between the rotor, without impairing stopping prowess. Accessing the pad
adjusters was tricky, although this Oxford Torque R10 Mini Ratchet Set Oxford
Torque RT10 Mini Ratchet Set | cycling-not-racing came into its own.
Maybe it was psychosomatic but
pumping the brake lever a few times suggested small but tangible improvement. Being
as it was late in the evening, I wanted to quit while ahead, ruling out becoming
wired, dare we say obsessional. Road testing was left until the following
morning.
The humble Spyre divide opinion
and in my experience, they require a little more patience to setup and finer
adjustments then onward. However, for the most part, they’re straightforward
customers and much better fit for me than Avid BB7. Hybrid models, including TRP
HY/RD are cable operated but employ a hydraulic reservoir, automatically
adjusting pads as they wear.
They work well in my experience.
However, the hydraulics are another thing to service. I’d even toyed with
buying a different brand of rear calliper. Shimano BR-R517 and 317 seemed a
good bet. However, there wasn’t anything wrong with the Spyre, so the sensible,
cost-free (save for time) decision was to analyse, trouble shoot, tweak, ride
and repeat. The intermittent tinkling continued and the only thing I hadn’t
ruled out was rotor health.
Now, the rotor fitted came
straight from the brake spares box, so was part worn and intended to get us going
following Ursula’s renovations. Pensioning off seemed like a good move and
would rule that out as a potential source. No amount of calliper alignment would
work if the rotor was slightly warped. Not enough to create mischief in the
work stand but amplified by minor flex under pedalling force. I’ve gone for a
160mm Disco brakes Wavey, since I had excellent experiences with one tested
back in 2022 Disco
Disc Brake Pads and Wavey Rotors | cycling-not-racing . It’s gone up in
price but is stainless and very much a known quantity.
Some Deore rotors going for the
proverbial song (£10 pair) so indulged, since like most consumables, rotors
wear out and at the least convenient moments. Since conditions allowed, I
decided to whip out Ursula's Kinkekt2.1 KINEKT
2.1 SUSPENSION SEAT POST | cycling-not-racing seat post and blast some
corrosion inhibitor down the seat tube, before the weather turned.
I toyed with the idea of making a
butyl boot for the Kinekt post but didn't have any suitably broad scrap butyl
to hand. Neoprene covers are one solution, but they also hold moisture,
which can cause corrosion and similar problems later down the line. I dried the
post and give the moving parts a shot of Muc-Off Silicone Spray MUC OFF
SILICON SHINE POLISH | cycling-not-racing
One thing led to another-since
time and weather permitted. The drivetrain was blitzed using Motoverde Drivetrain
Cleaner Motoverde
Drivetrain Cleaner | cycling-not-racing and Oxford Chain Brush Pro Oxford Chain
Brush Pro | cycling-not-racing, followed by a through sudsy bucket washing
and waxing. Fully dried, I decided to use up some leftover Finish Line
Dry Lube TEST
& REVIEW FINISH LINE DRY BIKE LUBRICANT - it was a small, saddlebag
size that I'd had since the dawn of time and just taking up space.
I didn't fancy the wax route this
time round but wasn't ready for a stodgier oil-based lubricant just yet. A
quick shot of MO94 Muc-Off
MO94 Multi Use Spray | cycling-not-racing on the cables, cleat mechanisms
and pivot points to flush any residual water out concluded this impromptu
post-ride fettling. I’ll close here with my long-term review of the System EX
Pro Grease Gun The System
EX Pro Grease Gun | cycling-not-racing
