RogueMechanic

Not MIA...

Just checking in. Been doing a lot of projects and retooling for the 2008 season. Thanks to everyone for your emails, phone calls as well as your comments... Keep them coming! Thanks! -John

RogueMechanic Podcast Episode 11

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RogueMechanic YouTube 01

What can Brown do for you? This was the result of shipping damage...

Rogue...

This is kinda funny... ROGUE

RogueMechanic Mavic Freehub Body Pt.2

RogueMechanic Mavic Freehub Body Pt.1

This Just in!!! RogueMechanic T's!!!

Check this out...
I FINALLY had some t-shirts made. Typical me, I couldn't go with just regular quality t-shirts, I went with higher quality shirts from American Apparel. With quality comes cost. These are great shirts and come with the v1 logo. Keep in mind that this are fitted, which means they run small.

Click here to purchase!

Enjoy! ~John

RogueMechanic YouTube Intro

This is just a taste... Stay tuned...

The first $900 gets this Zipp 900...

Here's your opportunity to get a barely used 2005 Zipp 900 tubular disc wheel that's in great condition before it lands on eBay... I'd say less than 200 miles on it. Zipp lists the product weight at 940 grams!!! It's aero, fast, and light!!! It's 700c and currently has a Shimano freehub body. The Tufo Elite Jet <160g tubular tire is included. Contact me with any questions. Shipping should run $25.00 anywhere in the US except Alaska and Hawaii... Those of you who know, will realize that this is a great deal. O.k...I'm going to take off my salesman's cap now...

RogueMechanic Podcast Episode 10

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Dear FSA/SRM....

...We'll talk about this later... -John

Mavic Ksyrium SL Issue...Follow-up

Just an FYI... Mavic did the right thing and covered this issue under warranty. They rebuilt the wheel, replacing the hub and the spokes. No complaints. Nice job Mavic.

Wow...

Hello All,
Some quick updates...
I'm busier than ever... Thanks to all who referred new customers. It's greatly appriciated!
I'm in the process of moving and redesigning the RogueMechanic shop. Exciting and crazy. This has created a whole new level of craziness...
The number of subscribers and listeners of the RogueMechanic Podcast has been consistantly growing as well as the amount of e-mails and comments. I haven't had the time or energy to publish another episode. I promise one soon. Remember, bikes come first...
Last but not least, I recently aquired a new Ultrasonic parts cleaner (two actually...). I'm impressed! Thanks for checking in and for spreading the word. ~John

It's 12:47am...

Do you know where your bike mechanic is?



This one is just trying to get things done... It's a constant game of catch-up. I'm not complaining.

Mavic Ksyrium SL Issue...

Here's an odd one. This shows that even some of the best products in the market can fail. What you're looking at in the first photo is the part of the hub that the freehub body is installed over. It's where the pawls are located (pawls and springs not shown in photo).

This photo shows the failure...

Here's a closer look..

This should fall under Mavic's warranty policy. The wheel has been sent and I'm just waiting to hear back from the Mavic warranty department. If by some odd reason they say it's not covered....oh.... there's going to be some issues... I'll keep you posted.

How's your Headset?

Most people don't think too much about their headsets. It's one of those components that's absolutely critical but often ignored. When it goes south, it's due to corrosion and/or bearing/race failure. One of the bad things that could happen if you let it go too far is actually damage to the steer tube of the fork. Watch for really tight, loose, or "indexed" steering. Be aware that even cartridge bearings go bad, and most are easy to replace. And for all of those with Chris King headsets, stay on top of the maintenance of those bearings so that it will turn smooth for years. The ten year warranty does not mean ten years maintenance free...

RogueMechanic Podcast 09

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RogueMechanic Podcast 08

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Lebron buys into Cannondale

Here's a link to the story... I guess that he has plenty of money to lose.

RogueMechanic Podcast 07

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Thanks for checking in and for taking the time to suscribe to the RogueMechanic Podast on iTunes.

RMPC Shownotes Episode 06

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This episode is the second part of my interview with Eric from Cyfac. This system of fitting is different from the others out there and I think that you will find what Eric has to say interesting.

Checking in

I'm still here... as you can imagine, I'm up to my youknowwhat with work. Thanks for sticking around and for your kind comments about the RogueMechanic Podcast. -John

RMPC Shownotes Episode 05

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This episode is the first of a series of interview with Eric Sakalowsky, Director of VeloEuropa and importer of Cyfac and the Cyfac Postural System.

Here's the link to the Cyfac Postural System.

Thanks for checking in and for taking the time to suscribe to the RogueMechanic Podast on iTunes.

My Podcast Alley feed! {pca-de5d9665a0d9dcd4dfb247bc2e89c063}

RMPC Shownotes Episode 04

RogueMechanic Podcast Episode 04

Listen on iTunes.

Download RogueMechanicPodcast Episode 04

Here's the link to Barnett Bicycle Institute.

Go here to see the Litespeed "Anonymity Kit"

Campy's Ultra Torque Crankset page.

and here's a link to the .pdf file... Scroll down to page 12 to see what I'm talking about...

Here's the 2007 Entrants list for the Leadville Trail 100.

SRAM Force Brake Recall Notice

The Way I See It 02

I know that it's been too long... but reading today's Starbucks cup reminded me...

The way I see it...
If you're going to provide the same level of service that can be found at at big box store, your days are numbered....

RMPC Shownotes Episode 03

Here's a link to the RogueMechanic Podcast on iTunes or just click here to listen right now!
Download RogueMechanicPodcast3.m4a (12542.8K)
Quite frankly, I haven't had enough time to completely figure out this whole podcasting thing just yet, but I'm pretty excited to get it up and running. So, hang tight while I get things situated...
and if you would be so kind, please suscribe to the podcast on iTunes. Thanks in advance! Ok, on with the shownotes...

I don't know why I'm providing this, but here's a link to Bianchi.

Shimano chains.

Campagnolo chains.

SRAM chains.

Here's my email... Hit me up with questions, comments, suggestions...

That's it for now.... Back to the bikes.

RMPC Shownotes 02

I'm still trying to figure out this whole podcasting thing. Hopfully I'll get it ironed out sooner rather than later... Here are the links that I mentioned in RMPC 02...

RogueMechanic email address: roguemechanic@gmail.com

Skype

Gotta get back to the bikes...

Thanks!
John

Felt FC

Joe's new ride....

Specialized S-Works HT

Kevin's new ride...

Intro Podcast Episode 01

Here's my first podcast RogueMechanic Podcast Episode 01

Caution!!! Frozen (Mavic) Nipples!

Great designs still have drawbacks. Honestly, there's not much that you can do to prevent this from happening. It's a rare occurance but can still happen. This design that Mavic uses on their higher quality wheels (Ksyriums, CrossMax. etc) actually has the nipple threading into the rim as opposed to the nipple threading onto the spoke. Great idea but not infallible...This was no longer a 15 minute job....

Here's a closer look at the Mavic FORE design...

This was tedious and took much longer than expected. Here's what remains of the extracted nipple and spoke end...

Corrosion was the major cause of this issue as is with most frozen nipple issues. It's just much less of an process replacing the traditional spoke nipple design. And please refrain from the "could be prevented with a nice dinner and a bottle of wine" comments... Thanks for reading!

More happy problems

Today I wanted to start a post about the latest "high tech" topic to hit the industry in quite a while....ceramic bearings, but I'm up against the wall to get jobs done. Hey, I'm not complaining about 50+ degree sunny days during the first week of January in Northeast Ohio!!! Like I said before, bikes first, then blogging. Once I get out from under the work that I have, we'll discuss the ceramic bearing thing. I think that you'll find it interesting. I'm also considering Podcasting... Thanks for checking in! -John

Good Advice isn't free...

This past year I've received emails from folks worldwide asking me technical questions and opinions. I've always believed that you can't get something for nothing. At this point, I'm going to leave the free advice to those who want to give it. This adage also applies to this. What "suffers" when I take the time to answer all of the emails is my time. I can't post as often as I would like and my response times are longer. This isn't good. In an effort to be compensated for my knowledge and time, I have added a feature to this blog called "ChipIn". If you feel that I have helped you in some way, I would appriciate any anount that you feel is appropriate. Thanks in advance!

Happy 2007!

Just checking in. It been a while since my last post. I'm looking forward to an exciting year. Word about RogueMechanic is spreading globally and I have some plans that I think will promote more aggressively what RogueMechanic is about. It's exciting and challenging. Thanks for checking in and for your support. -John

Great Quote....

"If you do business today like you did business yesterday, you won't be in business tomorrow."

RogueMechanic Video

FSA/VisionTech Failure Revisited

Dear FSA/Visiontech,
Unfortunately, I'm writing to remind you that you haven't solved this aerobar stem issue that you keep sweeping under the rug. This photo is of that latest failure that was brought to my attention:


The result was acute contact with the pavement at 35mph.


To refresh your memory, here's a photo of my client's stem failure that resulted in the national recall by your company...

Below are some of the original photos. It's time to do the right thing and stop denying that this is a serious problem. This is only my opinion. Call me at any time, I'd love to discuss this with you.

Nice one...

Every once in a while, there's a bike that I get to work on that for one reason or another just stands out from the others... Here's one that recently grabbed my attention...

Please excuse the dust...

Well, it's been a while since I posted anything and it's my opinion that this blog is getting just a little stale....Soooo, I'm going to be making some changes around here. Please watch your step and keep checking back. Thanks for checking in. -John

Photos from the LT100

I've had several requests for me to post some photos from this years LT100... Here ya go...

Interesting...

Thanks to everyone who had a chance to do the survey. There were some interesting results and suggestions. I am definitely going to be looking into adding some additional services based on the results and some of the suggestions that were posted. Stay tuned!
I also want to add that I am going to make an effort to post on a more regular basis. That suggestion was made at least once! I'm definitely not short on opinions and/or stories of what I deal with on a day-to-day basis... Thanks for checking in... -John

RogueMechanic Survey #1

Hello All:
I'm in the process of updating my business plan and I need your help. Below is a link to a quick survey that I put together. It's probably going to be the first of a series. Thanks in advance for your time and your opinions. -John

Click here to take the survey

Mission Accomplished...

Here's a link to the results page: http://www.leadvilletrail100.com/finishersreport.ihtml?rid=51

Congrats to Ken Frankenbery for his great finish time of 9:08!!! (He even beat Chris Carmichael!!!)

Here are some interesting facts about this years race...

455 made it under the 12hr mark
347 dnf'ed for one reason or another

This was probably the most challenging, weather-wise, of all of my LT100's. I was just happy to finish!!!

Anyway, I'm happy to be back. Thanks for checking in! -John

Out of town...2+ miles up!

Hello All:
Just an FYI that I'm currently out of town, two miles up in Leadville CO getting ready to ride the Leadville 100 this saturday. I'm still about to check my email and voicemail. I'm already booked for the week that I get back. If you need any work done, just shoot me a line and I'll get you scheduled. Thanks! -John

Just a FYI...

I just wanted to give everybody a heads-up regarding my availability over the next 5+ weeks. I will be leaving for some R&R with my family....and actually the Leadville Trail 100... starting July 29th and will return hitting the ground running on Monday, August 20th. This being said, if you have any issues with your bike(s) that you want me to attend to before I leave, please let me know asap so that I can get them taken care of. I have also started to schedule work for the week of August 20th. Please let me know if you have any questions/concerns. Thanks! John

Beyond the bearings

Sometimes just replacing the bearings doesn't solve the problem. In this case, the issue of sideplay in these Speedplay Frog pedals is not only the roller bearing but also the spindle. Both spindles have damaged races or surfaces on which the roller bearings sit. These spindles need to be replaced as well as possibly both bearings in order to eliminate play. Click on each photo for a larger image.

Mavic Freehub body follow up

It was brought to my attention today that cyclingnews.com reviewed the new mavic Ksyrium ES wheelset and in that review, James H. made a comment about the freehub body bushing that I wrote about recently. Click here for the link to the article. I wouldn't exactly call this design "new" because it's been around since at least 2003....

Opps X 2...

Luckly, I caught this before things headed south...

These bars were actually crushed on both sides where the aerobars were mounted by someone at a local shop who was just a little over eager with the allen wrench... Here's another photo after I removed the bars from the bike...

To be fair, the shop replaced the damaged bar for the wholesale cost of a replacement. No questions asked. They should be counting their lucky stars that their gross miscalculation in the torque spec didn't end up as a trip to the emergency room... Anyway, there you have it. John out for now...

How does a Mavic Freehub Body wear out?

So you spent a lot of money on a set of Mavic Ksyrium or Crossmax wheels that are by the way, arguably the best bang for the buck wheels currently available that you can both train AND race on, and in a season or so of riding, you start experiencing some shifting issues that are not the easiest to diagnose.  These issues can range from noise to skipping, but usually both.  Well, what's up?!?! If you're lucky you or an astute mechanic realizes that the freehub body is exhibiting a significant amount of side play.  Again, you ask yourself,

"What's up?!?!"

"Why is this happening with my relatively "new" wheels?"

OK...here's the scoop.

Exhibit 1:  This is a photo of two Mavic freehub bodies.  The one on the left has been used for only one season of riding and a few races.  The one on the right is new.  It's hard to visually see any differences besides scratches, discoloration and the like, but where the difference is is in the thickness of the whitish nylon bushing...  The used freehub body is is really bad shape.  I know, that it's hard to tell without accurately measuring it, but the first indication of it's condition was the side play that it had with the cassette still installed on it.  The reason for this wear is the degradation or wearing down of the nylon.  This happens from normal riding but is accelerated by contaminants such as road grit, salt, and also by some types of greases or lubricants.  Mineral oil is the only lubricant that should be used.  The Mavic tech department uses Pedro's Road Rage which is essentially mineral oil.  All of this being said, the easiest way to determine if your Mavic freehub body is shot is to grab hold of the largest cog on your cassette and try to move it inboard and outboard.  There shouldn't be any noticeable play.  The more there is, the more it's worn. 

Finally, this leads to the question which I know most of you want to ask... "Why did this thing wear out so quickly?!?!"

Here's the bottom line...these are pro-level wheels that, like others in this price range,are not designed to last forever.  There's a cost for this level of quality.  You can spend a lot less on another set of wheels that won't have this issue, but they're going to be a downgrade of quality and you won't be thrilled with the performance and the additional grams...  That's all that I have to say about this.  I have to get back to work.  Thanks for reading!  -John

2005 Photo Review

Here's only a small sample of 2005.  Click on the image for a larger view.  I hope to take more photos this year.  Enjoy!