Cannondale 'Headshok'...

[yellowjack]

Barchettaman said:

There seem to be stems available from this German seller:

http://www.cannondale-parts.de/Headshok-stem

It looks like these guys will sell you the specific tools to service the fork:

https://qwertycycles.co.uk

As always, the guys on Retrobike are worth a shout:

http://www.retrobike.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1...

Apologies if you were aware of all those sites. Also YouTube has plenty of stripdown videos for the fork.


It does look a really fun project. I do fear however that if you get too obsessed with trying to shed weight from the bike things might get very expensive very quickly, in fact, keeping the costs down is going to be your biggest challenge.

One last thing - buy a 9-speed chain for the 8-speed drivetrain when you renew it, they run better and the 9-speed chain my be even cheaper.

Thanks! I'd found the two websites for parts. Qwerty do stems as well, along with a lot of service parts and seal kits. I'll need to update my HeadShok to something with a bit more travel, I think, judging by the parts availability.

Retrobike? I can't remember having an account on there, so I'll have to sign up and join in I think. I'm sure there'll be some useful advice and contacts to be made on there.

There's no real obsession to shed weight from the bike, I just hoped to use better wheels I already had. It came with mis-matched wheels though. They 'look heavy', and the front hub sounds awfully dry. The tyres it came with were nasty generic rubber from Sri Lanka, and the rear had been skidded to within an inch of it's life. My solution, to get a ride in on the Essex coast to make the most of the trip to collect it, was to take spare tyres with me. I changed them over by the roadside where I parked, and they were hefty (but highly puncture resistant) Conti Tour Rides. I've also got a choice of three sets of wheels that'll fit this bike, including that set of 1,423 gram American Classics. So for the price of a set of tyres I had hoped to shed about 1,200 grams from the bike. To be honest, if they had an 11-speed compatible hub, those ACs would be going onto my best road bike. So you can see that I've already added weight (those chunky tyres) to the bike before I rode it more than a few hundred yards. I'm just trying to take it back off now to make it a bit more "race ready". With the price of 8-speed cassettes, I may even run two wheelsets for this bike - one heavier with all-rounder tyres on it for more road-biased general riding, and a lighter set with gravel/CX tyres on it for tearing up the local heathland trails and forest roads with an eye on the BOTB race.

Next priority has to be a trip to a local bicycle emporium to get myself a fresh cassette and chain to give it that little bit of TLC that I feel it deserves, in order that it's in good rideable order for now. The tyre saga can wait, as I'll ride it with the current tyres until I can get something with a little more grip that actually fits the rims. And I'll check out a 9-speed chain too. Thanks for the tip!

[yellowjack]

An update of sorts...

This evening I took a trip to my local Halfords.

There I purchased a SRAM PG850 11-32t cassette, and, for want of any real alternative from stock, a SRAM PG870 114 link chain. Total cost, after price-matching was £30. I'll fit them tomorrow, along with possibly shifting the tyres on it to a better wheelset along with the new cassette.

Cost So Far:
Item	Cost	Item weight	Weight saving	Notes
Bike purchase	£53	n/a	n/a	n/a
Fuel to collect	£20 approx	n/a	n/a	Hampshire to Essex return
Broken tyre levers (x 4)	£?	n/a	n/a	Broken removing/refitting tyres
2 x Conti Tour Ride tyres (700 x 42c)	£nil	n/a	n/a	Previously salvaged from a 'dead' bike
2 of 700c x 28-38c inner tubes	£nil	n/a	n/a	Unused spares from garage stock
SRAM PG-850 11-32t cassette	£15	n/a	n/a	Halfords - price match
SRAM PG-870 114 link chain	£15	n/a	n/a	Halfords - price match
blank	blank	blank	blank	blank
Running Total	£103	-	-	-

I also spotted a set of Clarks foam handlebar grips. Proper retro, comes in 4 long sections, to fit either side of the shifters...



...or it'll have to be thick, soft handlebar tape instead. At £6.99 in Halfords, or £4.99 on Wiggle, I'm tempted to go with the 'retro look' and fit these instead of the bar tape.

[yellowjack]

OK then. Confessions of a silly cyclist time!

Back to Halfords I went, because when I came to take off the old cassette something really didn't look right. Luckily I found out before I broke the seals on the boxes of the 8-speed cassettee and chain, and I hadn't gotten oily paw prints all over them.

Turns out that you've got to count ALL of the sprockets, including the one hiding under the chain. It's not 8-speed after all, but 9-speed Shimano 105 triple shifters moving an old Shimano XT rear derailleur. So I need to amend the table...

Cost So Far:
Item	Cost	Item weight	Weight saving	Notes
Bike purchase	£53	n/a	n/a	n/a
Fuel to collect	£20 approx	n/a	n/a	Hampshire to Essex return
Broken tyre levers (x 4)	£?	n/a	n/a	Broken removing/refitting tyres
2 x Conti Tour Ride tyres (700 x 42c)	£nil	n/a	n/a	Previously salvaged from a 'dead' bike
2 of 700c x 28-38c inner tubes	£nil	n/a	n/a	Unused spares from garage stock
SRAM PG-950 11-32t cassette	£19.95	367 g	n/a	Halfords - price match
SRAM PG-970 114 link chain	£12.49	n/a	n/a	Halfords - price match
2 x Clarks 9-speed chain connectors	2.99	blank	blank	Saddle pack spares
Swapped in some Mavic MA2 rims on no-brand hubs	nil	2,223 g inc. skewers	144 g	spare wheelset my brother gave me
Running Total	£108.43	-	-	-

I also scared it with a damp rag this morning, liberally applied GT-85 to cable adjusters and 'Travel Agents', and various small adjuster screws, and adjusted the tension on the Vee brakes. They now apply and release as they should and I'm happy with how they operate. I'm slightly less happy with the fact that I finally worked out why they feel "a bit odd". It's because they're cabled in the France/USA style, more commonly known as "the wrong way around".

It all works though, what should go round and around does so freely, nothing fouls anything it shouldn't, and the gears and brakes function as intended. Next up? Not sure really. Maybe switch the brake cables over, definitely need bar tape/foam grips, and a new stem that's a better fit for me is a must too. And tyres. A decent set of mud-capable 33c or 35c CX tyres around the 300 g to 350 g mark. And maybe if I find some that haven't shrunk in the wash, I will risk fitting them to my 1,420 gram American Classic wheelset to dump around 1.4 kg off the all-up weight?


The bike itself...



...as ridden this afternoon on a local riverside path.

Edited by yellowjack on Saturday 10th March 01:03

[Barchettaman]

Whilst I’m sure you’re cautious about purchasing from Planet X again, their Conti Cx tyres are good value:

https://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/TYCONCXS/continental...

The bike looks terrific BTW.

[yellowjack]

Barchettaman said:

Whilst I’m sure you’re cautious about purchasing from Planet X again, their Conti Cx tyres are good value:

https://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/TYCONCXS/continental...

The bike looks terrific BTW.

Thanks for the link. But yes, I'm a bit wary about chucking my lot in with Planet X again. Also, I'm after a tyre with a bit more in the way of grip than the file treads on the Contis in that link.

My local bike shop has (or had, if Henry hasn't put them aside for himself) a couple of Schwalbe Racing Ralph 700 x 35c tyres in stock. Henry did say they weren't making them any more. If not those, then possibly something else from the Schwalbe range.

https://www.slanecycles.com/schwalbe-racing-ralph-...

There is quite a lot of choice out there in theory, but finding stock of certain brands and tyre models can be difficult to say the least. I got another 16 miles ridden on it late afternoon today. It was plenty sloppy out there and the bike throws a lot of gloop off the tyres onto the frame so it's filthy right now.

I've also discovered that the two gear cables cross over diagonally under the down tube, which was weird. I hadn't noticed that before. I'm presuming it was an error by the previous owner (or his LBS) when installing fresh cables, and they've been fed through the wrong side of the bottom bracket cable guide. I'll probably have a go at re-routing them if/when I try to swap the brake cables over to UK style. I'm sure they're not under such tension that they're about to saw through each other in short order...

[Barchettaman]

No, that's just a cable routing preference thing, it makes the arc of the housing out of the STI shifter slightly less pronounced and stops cable housing rub on the head tube. Leave it.

[markoc]

I've a headshok and a couple of stems knocking about in the garage. Probably around 2008 vintage but functional, could do with a service. Message me if any use as I'd let them go for postage costs.

[boyse7en]

Barchettaman said:

No, that's just a cable routing preference thing, it makes the arc of the housing out of the STI shifter slightly less pronounced and stops cable housing rub on the head tube. Leave it.

Yep, I've got an ancient Marin that has the same (or similar) arrangement.

[yellowjack]

boyse7en said:

Barchettaman said:

No, that's just a cable routing preference thing, it makes the arc of the housing out of the STI shifter slightly less pronounced and stops cable housing rub on the head tube. Leave it.

Yep, I've got an ancient Marin that has the same (or similar) arrangement.

OK, cool. Not something I've seen before, but it sort of makes sense. It's why I'm also dubious about recabling the brakes (back to?) UK spec. I've read in a few places that the continental European/USA arrangement is beneficial in that it produces better arcs in the cable outers and leads to better braking effort. I seem to be managing OK with it as it is, but I think it'll be a shock when I get my road bike back on the road and need to switch between the two.

Riding it at the moment, I've not really been able to establish if it's the gearing, the extra weight of the bike, or the 'engine' that's making it feel so much slower, or just that my faster times over Strava segments on other bikes have been achieved in better weather with the trails and tracks in better condition. When the weather perks up a bit and I've got a few more miles under my belt I'll get a better idea of my ability on it.

I had hoped to take it to Pembrey for the Battle On the Beach race this year, but I'm not so sure about that now. It doesn't feel like there'd be that much to gain over my MTB at the moment, but again, I've rather neglected maintenance of my other bikes while I ride and fettle this one, so perhaps I ought to wait until I replace the chain, cassette, and pulley wheels on my MTB and ride them back-to-back before making any rash decisions.

I definitely need to get the stem and bars sorted though. They're too far behind the front axle and too high at the moment. Not comfortable after any sort of distance, but my garage is full of junk and I don't fancy working on the bike on my driveway in the rain.

I was back on ebay last night too, clicking "watch this item" on several period correct wheelsets as possible back-ups to hold onto as spares, or just to have a quick-swap set with different tyres on for different conditions. Some really nice looking Mavic rims available, on Shimano 105 hubs that match (most of) my groupset.

I can honestly say that this is the most "involved" I think I've ever been with a bike. Everything else I've bought has been new, and ridden "as it came" with parts only replaced/upgraded/downgraded when they wear out. This one is different though. Because it's not entirely original anyway, and because it's older, and well-used, it doesn't feel so wasteful to be replacing bits here and there, either to make a better bike of it, or to get it looking more original.

One of the things I'm tempted to change is the saddle. There's nothing wrong with the one on it, but it's a Specialized product and out-of-place on the bike. Maybe a Charge Spoon with bar tape to match? Maybe some 'paint splatter' bar tape...


...if I can find any?

Although after all that musing, most of what I want to buy for/do to the bike falls into the "non-essential, aesthetic value only" category. And that sort of breaks the "low budget" rule...

Hmmmm?

[yellowjack]

markoc said:

I've a headshok and a couple of stems knocking about in the garage. Probably around 2008 vintage but functional, could do with a service. Message me if any use as I'd let them go for postage costs.

Thank you for that kind offer. I should probably try to message you about it.

I've found a few bits on ebay, but lots of compatibility issues (mostly disc-only forks) and the ones that are selling for pennies often have "no internals" and "for spares or repair" on the listing, and would need posting from Europe or the USA. The odd one I've found that is in good order is usually quite high in price. Someone wanted over £300 for a 'new old stock' complete fork on there.

My problem is the 700c wheels. I'm not sure the Vee-brake bosses on a 26" fork (the most commonly sold type) would be compatible with my 700c wheels, so then i'm looking at having a 700c rear wheel with a 26" front one. I'm not sure if that would really work.

I'll have a think on it, and get back to you, but thank you again for making the approach with that very generous offer.

[markoc]

No probs - mine's a 26 inch wheel MTB fork with disc mounts - but the internals should be interchangeable as long as the headtubes are comparable (and I think they were standard). Stems are a short ish one and a super long brand new unwrapped one that I can't for the life of me remember why I bought. It's all not going anywhere so no hurry - like all the other MTB kit that is filling the garage - much to my wife's displeasure

[yellowjack]

markoc said:

No probs - mine's a 26 inch wheel MTB fork with disc mounts - but the internals should be interchangeable as long as the headtubes are comparable (and I think they were standard). Stems are a short ish one and a super long brand new unwrapped one that I can't for the life of me remember why I bought. It's all not going anywhere so no hurry - like all the other MTB kit that is filling the garage - much to my wife's displeasure

Ok, thanks for the extra info!

I should say right now, that if I sound a bit awkward when responding to offers like that, it's because I probably am being a bit awkward. I've been having a few mental health issues this past couple of years, and I find it hard to make contact with new people directly, hence I'm slow to respond via the messaging system. I don't mean to come across as cold, or less than enthusiastic about offers such as yours, but it takes time for me to work up to making that first contact. I'm not a sectionable nutter by a long stretch, but I've not adjusted well to life after a 25 year army career and I've needed help with depression and anxiety, and I'm on the edge of a PTSD diagnosis too. I've had help recently. and I'm not fishing for sympathy either, but sometimes I can be a bit abrupt online. It's made me some enemies on PH (outside of the pedal powered section, thankfully). I know I spend far too much time posting on PH, prattling on about riding bikes and mending them, and far too little time actually riding bikes or mending them. But I've just joined a local veterans charity self-help group, so i'm hoping that'll lead to some useful contacts that might actually help drag me back into the world of work, etc. All of my social contacts right now are made through cycling, or so it feels. It's the one thing that survived my darkest times, and has become a bit of an obsession to be truthful.

So thanks again, and I hope it doesn't come across as sounding cold, or ungrateful...

[markoc]

Didn't come across as ungrateful at all - if I can be of any assistance with cannondale questions I'll keep an eye on the thread. I've used qwerty cycles for spares and have found them to be absolutely fine.

Retrobike is a really friendly place to hang out and kill some time too - only problem is you'll get a bad case of upgrade-itis and a desire for shiny stuff.

All the best!

[Barchettaman]

+1, all the best YJ, fettling/riding bikes sounds like bloody good medicine.

Endorphins from riding the things, satisfaction from fixing 'em up!

[yellowjack]

So I rode it again today. Plan was to get 17 miles in, crank it over the 100 mile mark, pootle home and celebrate with a cider.


Errrm? No.

I managed 10 miles, during which the mud and slop thrown off the front tyre froze to the frame and the gear cables. Pushing the shifter for a lower gear at the rear got me nothing, so I pushed some more. Then I stopped and chipped a load of frozen mud and brown water off the underside of the downtube. The rear mech is free to move (pushing it across with my hand) and the gear cable doesn't pull out of the outer cable. But I'm stuck in permanent 11-tooth hell. I'm hoping it is the cable, snapped at the shifter end. I can see no 'mushroom' in the innards of the shifter. But I fear it might not have snapped, and just pulled the cable too deep into the complicated bits. Can this happen? I don't want it to be the shifter ruined, as finding a 'period' like-for-like replacement won't be as easy as ordering one up. It's 9-speed 105 kit.

I'd ridden a couple of single-track sections on it, much slower than on my "proper" MTB but it handled the terrain OK, especially given that it was muddy, wet, and the tyres aren't exactly grippy. Then, after the cable gave up the ghost I rode on to get a picture for another thread on here, but it turned out that the snow hadn't settled at my chosen spot anyway.

Grumpy doesn't begin to describe my mood right now as I'd planned to ride out to meet a friend tomorrow for her first outdoor ride following a complete ankle replacement.

So now it's laid up in the garage, covered in frozen mud, with the rear shifter not working, and with the mileage (since I bought it) sat at 94.4 miles.

Fingers crossed that a new cable (and a temperature rise!) will sort it right out...

[Barchettaman]

Bugger. A WD-40 flush might help:

https://youtu.be/8MyQGB1gudw

[yellowjack]

So it's been a little over two weeks since the shifter ceased to function. Today I finally got around to doing something with it...

I went to Decathlon in Farnborough (LBS was shut) for a few bits for my lad's commuter bike. He had his saddle/seatpost/mudguard/light bracket stolen a few days before Easter hols started. That lot needed replacing before he goes back to Uni. His mum insisted it was done today, as it was the only day she had off work (she was paying!) and she wanted to know his bike was ready to go without waiting until the last minute like I usually do.

Anyway, while in Decthlon I decided to get a gear cable inner as I'd presumed the cable had snapped. I bought an "anti-friction" black coated gear inner cable, a 2 metre length of gear cable outer, and a pack of gear cable end cover ferrules. Total cost £9.97.

Back home, in the fading light after sorting the boy's bike out, I had a poke around the shifter on the 'Dale. Nothing doing, I couldn't really tell what the problem was.

Nothing for it now but "snip". I chopped the cable end-cap off, undid the derailleur cable-clamp bolt, and slid the old cable out. Right up to the shifter, it slid through OK. But it wasn't coming out of the shifter as expected. Turns out it wasn't snapped, but had somehow "jumped" out of the cable-guide within the shifter, and had become badly kinked just below the 'mushroom'. Liberally squirted with GT85, and wiggled about a lot, I finally found one 'gear' selection that allowed me to see the 'mushroom', and work out what was wrong. Some more wiggling, and a bit of force from a needle-nose pliers, and there it was, out and free.

I threaded the new cable in, pulled on it, and worked the action of the shifter. All seemed to be working OK, pulling and releasing cable as it should. So I cut the new housing to length, fitted ferrules, slid it all into place, and bolted it into the derailleur clamp. It worked! I hardly needed to turn the barrel adjuster, because the indexing was close to spot-on from the off. Minor adjustment made, and everything checked and double-checked, then I trimmed the cable to length and crimped on an end cap.

A brief spin up and down the street to confirm the shifting was OK. Success! Then I had to don my helmet with my light attached to make sure I swept up all of the tools, etc, and stuffed everything back into the garage. I have enough of the new housing to do the front derailleur cable now, so just need to buy an inner for that. I might even be willing to have a dabble with the 'Travel Agent' brake cable ratio adjusters, if I buy a set of new brake cables. Perhaps worth it to get the brakes swapped from USA/European to British set-up.

I'm also looking into getting a set of CX "interrupter" in line levers for the bar tops. 'Specialized Top Mount', 'Tektro RL726', and 'Cane Creek Crosstop' levers are on the shortlist. Anyone have any experience with this type of extra brake lever?

Edited by yellowjack on Monday 2nd April 23:28

[yellowjack]

Running total as at 02/04/2018...

Cost So Far:
Item	Cost	Item weight	Weight saving	Notes
Bike purchase	£53	n/a	n/a	n/a
Fuel to collect	£20 approx	n/a	n/a	Hampshire to Essex return
Broken tyre levers (x 4)	£?	n/a	n/a	Broken removing/refitting tyres
2 x Conti Tour Ride tyres (700 x 42c)	£nil	n/a	n/a	Previously salvaged from a 'dead' bike
2 of 700c x 28-38c inner tubes	£nil	n/a	n/a	Unused spares from garage stock
SRAM PG-950 11-32t cassette	£19.95	367 g	n/a	Halfords - price match
SRAM PG-970 114 link chain	£12.49	n/a	n/a	Halfords - price match
2 x Clarks 9-speed chain connectors	2.99	n/a	n/a	Saddle pack spares
Swapped in some Mavic MA2 rims on no-brand hubs	nil	2,223 g inc. skewers	144 g	spare wheelset my brother gave me
BTwin Anti-friction derailleur cable	£3.99	n/a	n/a	Decathlon
BTwin Derailleur housing, red	£3.99	n/a	n/a	Decathlon
BTwin Derailleur housing ferrules	£1.99	n/a	n/a	Decathlon. Pack of 10
-	-	-	-	-
Running Total	£118.40	-	-	-

[Shuttle Cock]

I've got a set a set of brake leavers you can have if you send me you address, I think they are TRP ones from memory without going to the garage.

They got used for a few rides then removed as I wasn't using them.

[yellowjack]

Shuttle Cock said:

I've got a set a set of brake leavers you can have if you send me you address, I think they are TRP ones from memory without going to the garage.

They got used for a few rides then removed as I wasn't using them.

Very kind of you. I'm still not sure though. They "pull" on the outer cable housing, so would that mean I have to have the cables "loose" out of the bar tape? I'm not at all sure about this idea just yet. As you may be able to tell, this thread is as much about keeping notes and random musings for my benefit as it is for the interest (or otherwise) of others.

Sorry that there are no photos lately, as I'm without a decent camera. My wife dropped the digital camera and although it still takes pictures, the screen is a 'white-out' so I can't tell what I'm photographing. I don't have a smartphone either.

Latest update? I spent yesterday afternoon winding in-line cable adjusters in and out, liberally coating them in GT85, and scrubbing with a toothbrush. Followed by greasing them to try to free them up. One for the rear brake, and one for the front derailleur. They're metal barrel things fitted (very tightly) into frame mounted cable stops. Not ideal, really, as they're very close to the frame and very difficult to grip and turn by hand. Methinks some more modern mid-housing cable adjusters may be called for at some future stage.

Next up? Possibly re-routing the brake cables to the "correct" brake levers. I need to buy new cables though, as the current ones are kinked and flattened in a few places, especially around the 'Travel Agent' pull ratio pulleys. While I do that, I'll take the opportunity to move the shifters to a more comfortable position/angle, re-wrap the bars in something better than foam grips held together with electrical tape, and then sort a longer stem with a shallower rise.

Still thinking about tyres too, but have to wait on Planet X processing the refund from those Panaracers that were too small for the rims.

I've got 9 days until 'Battle On The beach' now. It's looking unlikely that this bike will be in shape to race that one. There's still hope, but I'm going to have to commit to deciding between this 'Dale and my Giant Anthem early next week, then focus my mind on gathering up spares for whichever bike I take down to Wales with me...