Tuesday, June 09, 2015

Tool tip, tiny tap handle

Over the weekend I had to reattach the directional cable roller for the front derailleur, on the lower rear side of the seat tube on a guy's Ridley cyclocross bike. Top-routed cables, whoopee.

The roller had fallen out and fallen apart while he was riding. He actually managed to find all the pieces and bring them to us.

The original bolt was now too short to reach the surviving threads in the riveted insert pressed into the carbon fiber frame. As the roller had jiggled and jostled its way out, it had reamed the threads at the outer end before it managed to depart. Before I stuck a new bolt in there, I wanted to freshen up the threads. But a tap handle would never fit in the space so close to the seat stays. But that spoke wrench would. I've used the trick in other close-clearance areas as well. You don't have a lot of leverage, but if you're just cleaning things up to make sure your bolt threads in smoothly and straight, you don't need a lot of leverage.

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