anniversary

[JimK]

My Nomad Mk2 arrived a year ago, so it's time for an oil change. My odometer reads 1489 miles ridden, but I installed that sometime in the spring, so I probably have more like 2000 miles on the bike.

I put in maybe 23 ml of cleaning oil. When I pulled out the mix of old oil with the cleaning oil, I got 30 ml in the syringe. The new lubricant oil out of the can was quite clear but not perfectly so. I gather that oil varies from batch to batch.

[Hamish]

Funny.  I always use my headtorch (and glasses now) when I fiddle with my bike too! 

[Recumbentrohloff]

It does look much easier on that bike. My Rohloff is fitted to a 20" wheel on a Velotechnik recumbent with disk brake and that makes the oil change much more fiddly! (The photo shows it mounted on my Kinetic trainer which is handy for keeping the bike upright when doing the oil change!)

[tiantkpq]

  That makes me the third person in this thread. My reason is my eyesights are going, and the headlamp helps to look at the parts that I'm working on.

[JimK]

Yes, getting old isn't easy! How much to fight against it, how much just to accommodate?!

[Andre Jute]

Not much point about raging against the fading of the light when headlamps are good and cheap at the supermarket, and the cost of cross threading the oil port on the Rohloff is so high. -- Andre Jute

[JimK]

I put on my studded tires today, so I decided to put some copper grease on the sprocket threads too. Not really any trouble getting the sprocket off - I had been worried, since some folks report things being rather stuck.

[Danneaux]

Smart move, Jim, especially with winter coming on.  Do they salt the roads in your area?  If so, do you take any (other) special maintenance precautions to prevent corrosion?  I notice you have the silver Rohloff hub.  If you need a nice, non-abrasive metal polish, I can recommend Blue Magic.  It is ammonia based, and leaves a non-smeary silicone coating behind to protect against future corrosion.  Available in auto parts and marine outlets for about USD$5/bottle.  The bottles last me about a decade apiece.  Good stuff.

Is that a CSS-coated rim?

Best,

Dan.

[JimK]

I'm not sure what all they put on the roads around here. Mostly it seems to be grit. We're not quite in the watershed of the NYC reservoir, but that is very close by. Our streams go into the Kingston water supply. I have a lot to learn to be able to protect my investment here!

Thanks for the metal polish tip! I have a city bike that I leave outside all the time - it's a real monster! It has a full chaincase with a chrome strip along the top. That chrome strip is not looking good at all these days. I will have to try Blue Magic on that!

Yes, I have the CSS coated rims. I love the stopping power of my braking system! I come down some big hills! It'll take a while to see about the durability dimension!

[Danneaux]

JIm,

With the CSS coating on the rim sidewalls and the center portion anodized, you should be all set for avoiding rim corrosion that would leave ordinary rims pitted and discolored at year's end (assuming salted roads).  It sounds as if you may just have grit to deal with; if so, you can breathe a sigh of relief.

All good wishes; stay safe out there on these shorter days.

Dan.

[JimK]

Second anniversary, second oil change!

After putting in 25 ml of cleaning oil, I took my Nomad out for a short spin, to the post office and down to the local grocer for a gallon of milk. Took care to ride in 3 and 5 especially.

Then back home I pulled out 35 ml of mix, i.e. about 10 ml of old oil.

I reused my filler plug yet again. This time I cleaned the screw thoroughly with Simple Green which I think is a good degreaser. I also took a cotton swab, soaked it with Simple Green, and cleaned out the threads in the hub, though not so thoroughly. I then used a clean dry cotton swab to dry the hub threads and soak up as much remaining gunk as possible. Then I applied Loctite 641 liberally to the plug threads and reinserted it.

Ought to be good for another year!
 

[Danneaux]

Hard to believe the time has gone by so fast, Jim...Happy Anniversary!

Did you notice any difference in noise or smoothness after this oil change?

All the best,

Dan.

[JimK]

http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/95779319?

I got out on a short ride with my new oil on-board. I can't say that I noticed any difference. Truth is... did the Rohloff wear me in or did I wear the Rohloff in? - but the hub is plenty quiet and smooth by now. I don't pay any attention to the 8-7 transition. I know I did in the not-so-long-ago past.

Maybe it's cold enough that I am more focussed on snugging up any places where the wind leaks in? And should I go rooting around in my saddlebag to see if that neoprene face mask is really in there? A fair amount of snow at 1000 ft altitude, not really any at 600 ft!

Next trip into town, got to retrieve those studded tires!

[Eric]

Second anniversary, second oil change!

After putting in 25 ml of cleaning oil, I took my Nomad out for a short spin, to the post office and down to the local grocer for a gallon of milk. Took care to ride in 3 and 5 especially.

Then back home I pulled out 35 ml of mix, i.e. about 10 ml of old oil.

I reused my filler plug yet again. This time I cleaned the screw thoroughly with Simple Green which I think is a good degreaser. I also took a cotton swab, soaked it with Simple Green, and cleaned out the threads in the hub, though not so thoroughly. I then used a clean dry cotton swab to dry the hub threads and soak up as much remaining gunk as possible. Then I applied Loctite 641 liberally to the plug threads and reinserted it.
That's just what I've done for 7 years. I only put 15ml of oil back in though - it's all it needs say Thorn.

Ought to be good for another year!