Bits 'n' bobs for Danneaux's Sherpa

[Danneaux]

Hi All,

I don't drink alcohol, but have a fondness for Jarritos Mexican soda pop ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jarritos ), with crimped-on caps.  Plainly, the Sherpa needed a bottle opener, so I made one and mounted it to the stem steerer clamp.

I received a keyring bottle opener/tab lifter as a vendor premium at a developer's conference a couple years ago.  It is made of glass-filled nylon with a stainless steel lifter insert, so it weighs very little.  I reprofiled the head on a stainless socket bolt to match the other conical stem bolt, turned the shank down, extended the threads with a die, then milled it down a size and threaded the shank before polishing it.  The opener goes on those threads, held by thread tension so it doesn't rattle and keeps itself nicely in place, either stored or deployed; it cannot fall off as it is installed as the bolt turns through the stem's steerer clamp, which remains untouched.

 I also made some snap-in covers with o-ring seals for the ends of the hollow BB spindle on the Deore external-bearing crank.  You can just see the clamp for the N-gear Jump Stop at the bottom of that last photo. The Jump-Stop is well-proven for me in single and tandem use and allows for crisp shifts to the inner 'ring with no overshift or chain-drop.

Best, 

Dan.

[Danneaux]

I now have my BBG Bicycle Bash Guard ( http://www.bbgbashguard.com/Mountainbike.html ) installed.  Like many bash guards, it is really designed to replace the third chainring, rather than ride atop it.  After much research, I was able to fit it to my 9-speed Deore crank and chainrings by using the Stronglight Escapade triple chainring bolt set ( http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/stronglight-escapade-triple-chainring-bolts-fits-models-80-99-100-prod3690/ ).  I used those spacers and long sleeve nuts with the stock Shimano outer bolts and 0.6mm Wheels Mfg. spacers ( http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/alloy-chainring-spacers-for-middle-outer-ring-pack-of-20-prod5888/ ).  There is just enough chain clearance to get everything mounted securely, the sleeve nuts locating the whole of both outer 'rings and about half the thickness of the bash guard.  There is no interference with the backside of my Deore crankarm, and there's plenty of clearance in case I ever wish to add more spacers.  If I do add more spacers, then I will use Thorn's endless sleeve nuts ( http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/thorn-chainring-bolt-sleeve-pack-of-5-prod11987/ ).  They proved too long for this instal; chainring bolts are not threaded their entire length and so bottom out early on the sleeve ends, leaving too much space to take up.

My intended use is not as a bash guard per se, but as a means to protect me from the chainring.  A quick Google Image search for "chainring injury" and "chainring cuts" brings up a wealth of grisly photos.  The teeth on my 9-speed outer ring are designed for fast chain pickup and are highly profiled, leaving them like little knives.  Even a light embossing drew blood from my calf in a half-dozen places recently.  With the guard, I can avoid injury and oily chainring "tattoos" that would otherwise transfer to clothing and sleeping bag while on tour.

Best,

Dan.