RogueMechanic

Trek 5900 Headset Issue

Here's an ongoing issue that I've seen more than once. I recently revisited an issue with a 2003 Trek 5900 headset. Now, this is a nice bike ( I think that I owned on in the past...). Trek did a nice job. Light and stiff. In an effort to save some grams, they utilized a proprietary lower cartridge bearing. This was installed directly onto the crown race of the fork, thus eliminating the use of a crown bearing race. It is my understanding that this bearing was borrowed from Klein. Anyway, to cut to the chase, water likes to collect in the headtube area and cause a whole bunch of problems. This is what I'm talking about...

Well, this mess now only reeked havoc on the lower bearing, it also is evidence of the corrosion/ degrading of the aluminum steertube. Check this...

I needed a plan to stop any further degrading of the aluminum, so I got on the blower to my buddy Dr. J who is like a chemistry god and asked him for advise. He gave me a simplified lesson about what was going on and the nature of aluminum and corrosion and then he told me what to do and I did it. Here's a pic of the steertube and bearing before I installed it back into the headtube... (this is what a $45 bearing looks like...)

Btw... I recommended that the fork not be ridden and should be replaced because there is no way to confirm that the steertube is still structurally sound...
That's it for now. Thanks for checking in. -John

Compatible doesn't mean Good

Recently, I was working on 2008 Trek Madone....Nice bike. There's technology in this frame that is something to write home about, but this post isn't about promoting the Trek Madone...Here's what it looks like...
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Anyway, before I get off on a tangent... It can with a Bontrager compact crankset, Dura Ace front and rear derailleur, SRAM 10spd chain...PC 1090 and SRAM OG 1070 cassette. I was installing a Dura Ace 7800 12-27t cassette for a lower gear range and Shimano R700 compact chainrings to improve front shifting. I was going to keep the 1090 chain because in the past when dealing with 9 speed chains, I found that there was only a slight difference between the Shimano and SRAM equivalent chains. Well, I was not at all happy with how the 1090 chain meshed or interfaced with the Dura Ace cassette. In fact it sounded more like a chainsaw than it did a top-end drivetrain. Not good. Don't get me wrong, it worked, but it didn't work nearly as well as the Shimano chain that I replaced it with. So, if your stuck in some small town, this side of East Podunk, and the local shop just happens to only have SRAM 10spd chains, it will work.... but it will sound like you're being chased by my Stihl...

Here's what the upgraded Bontrager crankset looks like...

Thanks for checking in! -John

New Pics...

Check them out... Look to yer lower left under RogueMechanic Photos....

The "P" word...

One of the many things that have wanted to vent about lately evolves around proprietary parts that are spec'ed by bike companies. Believe me, there's a lot of that going around lately and even more to come...
My latest "episode" had to do with a Trek 5900, that in and of itself is a great bike. But, in an effort to shave off grams, they incorporated a "proprietary" bearing that, it's my understanding, was borrowed from Klein. It's the lower cartridge bearing of the headset. Otherwise known as the crown race bearing.
Anyway, to make a long story short, it's make specifically for Trek/Klein, and therefore has to be ordered thru a Trek dealer... oh god...
Cutting directly to the chase, I got Eric at Trek Technical Service on the blower and got the Trek part number as well as checked availability. Being a "RogueMechanic", I couldn't order it directly....(that's a topic for another time...). Soooooo, I called the closest Trek dealer (the name rhymes with Freedies....) and tried to cut to the chase and told them EXACTLY what I needed... including the Trek part number.... Well, I knew that they wouldn't have anything like it in stock and they assumed that I didn't know what I was talking about. After verifying that I did indeed have the correct part number, the guy said that it was going to run me $44.95. I said, "Ouch!... order me two." I was ready to give him my CC number to pay for the two bearings in advance when he said that I would have to come in to the store to order them... I was like.... you're kidding me. I was paying if full for both bearings and I STILL had to drive to the store to make the transaction.... I was not happy....
After repeating EVERYTHING to the clerk that was available, and being looked at like I have something growing out of my forehead, they took me card and said that it should be a week... We'll see. So, the "P" word is proprietary... More on that later. Thanks for reading and checking in. -John

Ridley X-Fire Build

I completed this build of a new Ridley X-Fire Cross bike yesterday. Looks nice. The fit/finish is clean and it felt really solid during my short test ride. Time will only tell how it will hold up. If it's anything like my three favorite things that come from Belgium... beer, chocolate, and waffles... I think that it's a safe bet that it will be enjoyed.

Confession...

Hello Everyone. With this post, I want to make some confessions...
Ok.. here goes.
First of all, I've been less than motivated to post on this blog (as if you can't tell...). In fact, it just about takes someone to put a gun to my head to do so. Mainly because, quite frankly, I don't make money doing it. When the day comes to an end and I'm tired putting the fix to bikes, I just haven't been able to bring myself to do it. It's certainly NOT because I don't have anything to say.
I guess that another reason why I haven't posted much is that I think that I'm getting to the point that whatever I'm going to say is either going to A) Tick someone off, or B) Going to be construed as "bitching" (And I think that there's plenty of that already in the cycling industry).
Now, I'm well aware that by merely opening your mouth there's a good chance that you're going to tick someone off. In some respects, I'm ok with that. What I REALLY do not what to happen is to be grouped with those that bitch about everything. See "B" above.
So where do I go from here? Based on the volume of emails, calls, and comments that I have been receiving during the last 6 or so months since I posted, I strongly believe that people what the hear and read what I have to say. I also think that "end users" (that's you...) what are involved with cycling really want accurate information and ultimately, the truth. I remember someone once said, " If you're not catching flack, you're not over the target." How true.
So here goes... I'm going to give it another shot. We'll see what happens. Thanks for sticking around and thank all of you who have written and called. I hope that I helped in some way. -John