Luke Rainbird Posted June 17, 2017 Report Share Posted June 17, 2017 (edited) As some of you may have seen, I picked up a dirty cheap Arcade back in September. What you probably didn't see was the rest of the story... September: Left the Royal Navy, had a little bit of time on my hands, fancied picking up a trials bike again. Primarily for the social side of things that is. As those of you who know me will be aware, I'd always been a bit of an indecisive bugger and was constantly chopping and changing between 24" and 26" wheels. With that in mind, I was pretty open to getting hold of either this time around, so started hunting on here, FB, PB etc to see what was about. I ended up tracking down a stock via @hill_393 on PB, and sent some funds across to him shortly after. It was posted the next day and job's a good'un. However before the 26" was delivered that Arcade popped up here on TF at a price which couldn't be turned down so I bought it on the spot. 9 months later, I've ridden the 24" half a dozen times and the big bike hasn't even been unboxed. Wedding soon, car needing a few bits and so on, I sold the Arcade on to @The Foamoi Refresher who'll no doubt give it a much better life than myself. Hope you're enjoying it, Luis! T'was a hot day today, so the cats and I have been enjoying the sun. Seemed as good a time as any to dig out that 26". So, one dusty, still sealed box: One slightly less dusty slightly less sealed box: What have we here then? Looks like a set of (2.2"/2.4") Mountain Kings Well these are a little bigger than the Arcade wheels. Hope QR skewer needs to go. Not a common rimset these days Classic... Should I be concerned that a handful of spokes were loose in the bottom of the box? Fortunately, nothing to worry about Pulled out the rest of the box's contents. Not too sure on the stickers but that's an easy fix. These guys have done a thorough job of the coating, though it's taken a bit of abuse so if I end up hanging on to it perhaps I'll give it a fresh coat TT crankset, 16t, plastic Nukeproof pedals. Gratuitous downtube dent. Rear end's a Pro II, Rohloff and (narrow) 14/(wider) 16t sprockets. Will rectify that at some point. Rear brake is an '05 HS33 on (real) Cousts, old school booster and Tensile offset mounts. Harshest grind I've ever owned, though still significantly less abrasive than most folk seem to run. Front brake is an SLX. 203mm is nice to see, but this might get swapped out for something a little more suitable. And for anyone who's not quite pieced it together yet Had a very quick roll about on the decking at home. Brakes need to bed back in and need to sort out the gearing, but the bike feels far more capable than I do so that's good. Edited January 16, 2018 by Luke Rainbird Fixed dead image links 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ross McArthur Posted June 19, 2017 Report Share Posted June 19, 2017 Looks good. Enjoyed the post too. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luke Rainbird Posted January 13, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 13, 2018 So excluding riding this around the decking a couple of times I've barely touched the Hex. Keen to get out on it a bit this year, so sorting out a few bits I'm not so keen on to try and motivate me to use the thing. New rear rim and front spokes inbound at present, so I've stripped down the existing wheels and cleaned up the hubs ready to rebuild. Nips were a little different to any I've seen before. Had the same square profile above the flange of the nipple as below. Not that you can get a spoke key in there on a double walled rim anyway. Whoever had built these wheels up had used a lot of nasty red (permanent) threadlock. Can't say I'm a fan of that idea, and certainly won't be doing the same this week when building up the new rims. Also, turns out the previous owner had actually been running 16:16/16:14, but with a narrow 14t sprocket so I'll throw on a chainring and an extra spacer to put that right. 20:16 should do the trick, or maybe 19:16 for hoppier stuff - minor difference. Probably just go with whatever I can find cheap so if anyone's got a spare screw on 19 or 20t sprocket let me know! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luke Rainbird Posted January 14, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 14, 2018 Ordered spokes last night. Found an old stash of suitable ones at parents place this afternoon. Ah well! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paperclip Posted January 14, 2018 Report Share Posted January 14, 2018 I look forward to seeing this built and you dusting off the old cobwebs......... .....off the excuse book. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luke Rainbird Posted January 14, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 14, 2018 I think the one I'll be using most frequently is "I'm shit". Fully open to suggestions though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Herbertlemon102 Posted January 15, 2018 Report Share Posted January 15, 2018 17 hours ago, Luke Rainbird said: I think the one I'll be using most frequently is "I'm shit". Fully open to suggestions though “The air in my tyres is old” is my personal favourite to use 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luke Rainbird Posted January 15, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 15, 2018 Nice New rear rim just arrived, along with the wrong spokes for the front wheel. Balls. Edit; Oh, and I may have accidentally some brakes that only half fit... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luke Rainbird Posted January 15, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 15, 2018 As a result of incorrect spokes, I only currently have half a wheel's worth I can lace up so I now have half a front wheel stuck together. Also gave the freehub body a quick buzz with a file as the previous owner had been running a narrow sprocket which had dug in. There were actually a number of marks as you can see here, so either the cog had been moved about a bit or, perhaps more likely given the regular spacing, there'd been a narrow cassette on here at some point. Rear rim arrived. It's a 36mm wide, undrilled TryAll. I don't really remember these from yesteryear and can't find much mention of them online either, which is a tad strange but should suit the Hex pretty well. Was in two minds as to drilling these rims but can't be fecked. Unsurprisingly, I am introducing it to this: Perhaps less surprising still is the fact that "New and improved", "faster", "super strength" new formula Nitromors is just as shit as I remember and doesn't appear to be touching the sides... Edit: I roughed everything up with coarse sandpaper prior to applying Nitro. Have now wiped off and given it a buzz with a flap wheel, see if that helps. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark W Posted January 16, 2018 Report Share Posted January 16, 2018 Friends don't let friends use new Nitromors. They basically took the active ingredient out - Starchem is your friend. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luke Rainbird Posted January 16, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 16, 2018 If it hadn't been sat on the shelf already I wouldn't have considered it. We also found some old Wilko own-brand stuff in the garage when we moved in 3 years ago, consistency of water, which I tried. It was more effective... If I need to buy anything I'll get Starchem, or take up TB's generous offer of sharing his fluids Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luke Rainbird Posted January 19, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 19, 2018 Didn't grab many photos, but I was an impatient f**k and just stripped the paint from the rim with a grinder Have since smoothed it out, filler primed it, and given it an acceptable coat of matte black which matches the DV fairly well which is cool. Interior left pink for laziness reasons. Both wheels now fully built - need to give them a quick tweak in the bike to ensure they're running straight (they're close by eye, but I've not used a stand or anything so they'll need a minor touch to be rear-brake-suitable I'm sure. Brakes I bought arrived - managed to pick up a set of MT7s for less than a single new MT5. Only minor issues being they don't have hoses, and being an older frame I can't run one in the rear which would have been nice. May chuck a vee on the rear, not sure. Current plan is to hang on to the spare MT7 and perhaps run them on the MTB down the line, but we'll see. may end up selling one once I've got them both sorted. Oh, and a set of 203mm rotors too. Nice. Oh yeah, chainring turned up too. Going to give 20:16 a whirl, see how it feels then if it's a touch too high throw on either a 19t front or 17t rear to fine tune Need to get a set of 4 bolt clamps to replace the current Tensile Offset ones - anyone got a set spare/cheap? Ideally 2 pairs of lowers so I can run them washerless. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paperclip Posted January 21, 2018 Report Share Posted January 21, 2018 On 19/01/2018 at 9:42 PM, Luke Rainbird said: Didn't grab many photos, but I was an impatient f**k and just stripped the paint from the rim with a grinder Have since smoothed it out, filler primed it, and given it an acceptable coat of matte black which matches the DV fairly well which is cool. Interior left pink for laziness reasons. Both wheels now fully built - need to give them a quick tweak in the bike to ensure they're running straight (they're close by eye, but I've not used a stand or anything so they'll need a minor touch to be rear-brake-suitable I'm sure. Brakes I bought arrived - managed to pick up a set of MT7s for less than a single new MT5. Only minor issues being they don't have hoses, and being an older frame I can't run one in the rear which would have been nice. May chuck a vee on the rear, not sure. Current plan is to hang on to the spare MT7 and perhaps run them on the MTB down the line, but we'll see. may end up selling one once I've got them both sorted. Oh, and a set of 203mm rotors too. Nice. Oh yeah, chainring turned up too. Going to give 20:16 a whirl, see how it feels then if it's a touch too high throw on either a 19t front or 17t rear to fine tune Need to get a set of 4 bolt clamps to replace the current Tensile Offset ones - anyone got a set spare/cheap? Ideally 2 pairs of lowers so I can run them washerless. I would be all over that 18/14 gearing if you are thinking 20/17. I ran 18/14 simply because it was close to the set cs length of the hex but it feels about perfect for trials stuff. I don't tend to go very fast at things anyway so I can't say on speed really. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luke Rainbird Posted January 21, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 21, 2018 The 14t is a narrow sprocket (<2mm wide) so won't be running it. Picked up the 20t cheap so will try that, but if I'm not a fan I'll rethink Will get some full bike pics up once I find some cheap 4 bolt clamps. And maybe hose for the MT7s. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ross McArthur Posted January 22, 2018 Report Share Posted January 22, 2018 I like bigger chain ring and cog set ups as it means the chain doesn't have to bend round as much - Puts less stress on the chain and makes it last longer. Although. That rohloff arm is so short it just about works with a 16 but you cant run it parallel with the chain stay, which is what you do if you're cool. Good job on the brakes. Have the cables just been snipped off? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luke Rainbird Posted January 22, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 22, 2018 Yeah, I like slightly bigger gears for the same reason, though as you've spotted the tensioner won't sit flush with the 16t as I've had to put the pin in. Will see if the chain is long enough with the 20t, may not be, and figure out all out. Could always laser cut a longer arm for the Rohloff too. Brake lines appear to be cut at the caliper but unscrewed at the lever, and I only have what's in the photo. New hoses inbound so easy to sort either way Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ross McArthur Posted January 22, 2018 Report Share Posted January 22, 2018 2 hours ago, Luke Rainbird said: Could always laser cut a longer arm for the Rohloff too. That is an excellent option. In the past I have used the short and long arm joined together to achieve the same thing, albeit fugly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davetrials Posted January 31, 2018 Report Share Posted January 31, 2018 (edited) can confirm, does not ride this one. EDIT: if/when you get bored i might have those MT7's for the MTB if you decide not to use them. Edited January 31, 2018 by Davetrials Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luke Rainbird Posted January 31, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 31, 2018 Yeah, the MT7s won't be going anywhere, even if the Hex does. They'll be headed for my MTB instead Still not sorted a set of Magura clamps, but that's about all that's stopping me rolling about on this now. Anyone got a set hanging about? Edit; What are you doing on TF anyway; shouldn't you be off spamming Faceache groups with the copious amounts of spambot links you seem to be loving lately? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Harrison Posted January 31, 2018 Report Share Posted January 31, 2018 Looks like our man G has been at your hoses... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Shrewsbury Posted January 31, 2018 Report Share Posted January 31, 2018 If you want a disc brake on the rear try and get in touch with Josh Leech. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luke Rainbird Posted January 31, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 31, 2018 Cheers John. Has he stuck a disc mount on a Hex for you? I'd love a DD Hex, but have always been put off by the expense of heat treating etc - as much as I've had hairline cracks welded without treating before I'm not sure whether a disc mount would be a little much. Edit; They're 7005. I seem to recall that being a little less critical with heat treating, but may well be completely wrong on that. You've started naughty thoughts in my mind, Shrewsbury, and not just the usual ones... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Harrison Posted January 31, 2018 Report Share Posted January 31, 2018 Was the disc mount only on later Hex models then? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luke Rainbird Posted January 31, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 31, 2018 Indeed. Sadly to replace this frame would cost more than I paid for the bike which I can't justify for a garage ornament and dry gatherer. I was just going to run an HS33, or convert it to vee, but if anyone has had success retrodiscing it then I'd like to know more Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ross McArthur Posted February 1, 2018 Report Share Posted February 1, 2018 12 hours ago, John Shrewsbury said: If you want a disc brake on the rear try and get in touch with Josh Leech. Just make sure he welds it on the right way round. He has previous. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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