Another hot and Sunny ride to Bishop Auckland n back

 

Following on from yesterday Bank Holiday Monday heat wave ride it was none stop sun from sunrise. It was not as hot as yesterday but the Garmin was still reading 22 degrees which is warm enough for me. Todays outing was on the old railway lines of County Durham from Langley Park to Broompark then over to Bishop Auckland n back. There was loads more people out today early doors before the heat ramps up too high. The growth at the sides of the tracks and trees / bushes is just unreal. You have to keep ducking all the time and a normal 6ft wide track is no down to a couple of feet in places. I bumped into Jim Teesdale from MTS on the line so had a good old chat/catch up. Again there was breeze so it felt a little cooler. All in 30 miles on the nose in 2hrs 18mins with 900ft of climbing. Enjoy the few sunny snaps below and hopefully more soon. 

Bank Hol Monday - Hottest day of the year in Co Durham - Out for a warm spin

 

After my first ride following my procedure I thought I was ok but I felt rough in the afternoon and the following day post ride. I have been getting back out but for walks with the family and taking it steady. Today we went out in the morning and we were back home early afternoon. After a short sleep I thought sod it might as make the most of the good weather and went for a ride. The van was reading 31 degrees but there was a breeze in the air. I hoped onto the old railway line at Langley Park and headed for Broompark. There was very few others out, probably due to the heat. Once at Broompark I headed straight onto Ushaw Moor, Esh Winning then Waterhouses, this is where I turned and headed back. The Garmin was reading around 29 degrees but it did not feel like it with the breeze and shaded sections along the line. Once back it was 20 miles in 1hr 27mins with 600ft of climbing. Enjoy the snaps below and hopefully more soon- 

Fresh Goods Sunday - Bike Bearing Press Set (Part 2)

 

Following on from last weeks Fresh Goods Sunday Part 1 - Internal Bearing Puller Tool Kit this is Part 2 - Bearing Press Tool Kit. 

I did not have a bearing press kit in my selection of bike tools and used a section of sockets, threaded bar, washers etc in the past. I thought I would get the proper tool this time for the job. Again this is similar to part one of this series you can buy main brand bearing press kits but they cost a small fortune and I would never get my money back as I don't use this kit very often. So I went back on ebay and loads of sellers were selling this cheapo kit. It took two days to arrive and on first inspection looked like reasonable quality for the money. You get a threaded bar and two handles with loads of different adaptors to suit the size of bearings you are pressing in. Again there was no instructions etc on how to use the tool but you cannot really go wrong with this one. I found the adaptors which was the correct size for my bearings and had them pressed in to the Hunt front hub with ease. For the money I cannot fault the set and if you are a home mechanic who uses a bearing press tool kit every now and then it is great value for money. 

RRP £?? but I paid £23.27 & £3.99 48hr p&p from Ebay 

Manufacturers blurb - 

Features:

Lightweight well- machined anodized aluminium alloy bicycle bearing press kit which clearly labelled for each bearing size you needed

Bearing Specification: 6000/6001/6900/6901/6902/6903/608/R6/1526/1728/6800/6801/6802/6803/6804/6805/6806; BB70/BB86/BB90/BB92/BB30

T thread screw and press block taper design improves pulling force, reduces friction and protects bearing damage

Great bike maintain tool kit for bicycle workshop

Universal bearing installation: Hubs, Bottom Bracket, AM frame point and etc.

Specification:

Case Size: As the picture shown

Material: aluminium alloy

Applicable scope: flower-drum, column foot, middle axle etc.

What's included :

1 Set Bearing Install Tools with Carrying Case

Back out on the Specialized Creo 2 for a post op steady ride.

 

Well I am finally back out on my bike after a short break out of the saddle. I was just building my weekly mileage to over a 100 each week but I am back to the start again. After some rather crap weather and a visit to Sunderland Royal Hospital last Wednesday for a procedure, yesterday was the first day of getting some normality back in my body again. So today I thought I would give the bike a go and see how I got on. I also wanted to try out the new Sram XX1 chain and new Sram front chainring to make sure everything was working ok. After heavy overnight and early morning rain the tracks n trails are back to mud, puddles and slop again. Not to mention the hail showers, torrential rain, thunder and lighting recently. I had a steady spin down to Durham, around Durham and over to Maiden Castle. Up and down the Trod then back into Durham and around Frankland, The Sands and back home. All in 14.50 miles in 1hr 13mins with 750ft of climbing. The semi slick gravel tyres were not enjoying anything off road so it was an even better excuse to take it steady. All was well I made it back home. Below are a few snaps from the ride, enjoy and hopefully more soon - 

Fresh Goods Sunday - Bearing Hammer Puller Set. Blind Hole Internal Kit Inner Slide Remover 8-32mm (Part 1)

 

About a month or so ago the front bearings on my second Hunt wheelset had gone. After removing the end caps there was an inner sleeve fitted in the middle of the hub between the bearings so I could not knock them out from the other side. After some googling I worked out I needed a bearing puller tool. Main brands for a good set costs a small fortune and for the amount of bearing replacements of this type I would never get my money back. I then found individual sized bearing puller tools but each size of bearing you had order a new different tool. So I went on ebay and found these cheapo sets from numerous sellers. I am always a little dubious on these cheapo tool sets but at the end of the day if it removes the bearings without damaging the hub shell that will be a win. 

It arrived the next day which was very quick and there are numerous sizes of adaptors in the kit. I found the right size for the bearings I was removing. There was no instructions in the box on how to set up the tool and how to use it. I gave it a go and could not work it out so went back on the listing on ebay and the instruction sheet was on there, see below. Once I had set up the tool correctly on the first bearing it just need two or three sharp pulls and it popped out. I loosened off the tool and removed the old bearing from the adaptor and it was ready for the next side. This took seconds to pull out as I knew what I was doing now. For the money including next day delivery I cannot fault the set and is there ready for anymore internal bearing removals on my numerous wheelsets. 

Part 2 to follow next Sunday and Part 3 the Sunday after that on the replacement bearings and the bearing press tool kit.

RRP £?? but I paid £21.48 inc 24 p&p from Ebay 

Manufacturers Blurb - 

Features：

1. It can be used to remove the guide bushing bearing from the blind housing, etc

2. Professional and DIY use

3. Split collet type blind plate/internal/bearing puller

4.Number of Pieces：12

 

Application:

For pulling jobs requiring an internal pull, Blind / Internal /Bearing Puller, fit a wide range of applications

 

Usage Tips:

Insert collet and expand it to fit the hole, then attach the slide hammer assembly

 

Collets Sizes:

8-10 mm (5/16"-13/32")

10-12 mm (13/32"-15/32")

12-14 mm (15/32"-9/19")

15-17 mm (9/32"-11/16")

17-20 mm (11/16"-25/32")

20-24 mm (25/32"-15/16")

25-29 mm (1"-9/8")

30-32 mm (19/16"-5/4")

 

Package included

9 * Inner Bearing Puller

1 * Slide Hammer

1 * Box