Recent content by MRC01

Here's something that works on aircraft engines, probably safe on car engines too: https://www.savvyaviation.com/wp-content/uploads/savvy_pdf/savvy-oil-control-ring-solvent-flush.pdf

I think of this in simple terms: If it has 2 wheels then it's a "bike". A bike having a motor is a "motorbike". Regardless of whether the motor is electric or gas, or how much horsepower it has, it doesn't change the fact that it's a motor. That's straight from the dictionary. Other definitions...

A "moderate" oil overfill should blow through the PCV into the intake and get burned - no big deal but it could gunk up the intake. With older engines (prior to PCV) excess oil would just blow out the crankcase breather vent. If you meant the "high" mark, then yes I do the same with my cars.

Spoken like a true Navy man!

I think I mentioned earlier 34-52 is just beyond what Shimano says the front derailleur can handle. It works perfectly as long as it's set up precisely (derailleur position, chainring clearance, angle, etc.) - but it's less forgiving of improper setup.

Yeah that's only 13% lower gear... enough that you'll feel it, but not a huge difference. I know cuz I did the same with my '99 Trek, swapped the OEM 11-25 rear for an 11-28, a similar difference (12%). Is your front a 36-52? Mine was and I swapped it for a 34-52, the same might also fit on...

Another factor to consider is that the budget carriers resell "unused" capacity of major carriers. For example, Mint with T-Mobile. This makes them cheaper, but if the major carrier they rely on is busy enough, your own data won't get through. It's not about whether you've used your own...

With new replies I'll update this thread. The cheap aftermarket carb was a little too cheap. Back in Feb, the priming bulb tore internally after being used only a few times. I still had the old carb since it might be useful for parts, and tried moving its priming bulb to the new one. But that...

I wish I had a photo of my racing bike from the 80s. I was poor and bought it used from a shop in Marin. Vitus 979 frame, Campy Super Record, with a Huret Jubilee rear derailleur. It had with Mavic E40 rims but they weren't strong enough so I built a new set of wheels on G40 rims with bladed...

Be careful what you ask for - nerd alert! A front 36T chainring has a smaller BCD than was common in '99. My prior bike's 39T was the smallest you could get for the BCD that it had at that time. My current bike (a Fezzari Empire) came with the standard Ultegra R8020 having 34-50 in front and...

36-30 or 1.2:1 is pretty low for the old school - doable. My prior road bike from 1999 was 39-25 or 1.56:1.

Yah, with modern gearing shoelacing should be a thing of the past. The lowest gear on my racing bike from the 80s was 42-21 = 2:1. I don't know how I made it up steep hills on that bike - I guess I was younger & stronger. The lowest gear on my modern road bike is 34-34 = 1:1. Even my old legs...

"same part number" doesn't necessarily mean "same part". I've seen cheap aftermarket parts use the OEM part # for compatibility reasons. Make sure before you buy. The last thing you want to do is replace a perfectly good OEM part with a cheap aftermarket version that will create the very problem...

As a general rule I avoid unnecessary maintenance - if it ain't broke, don't fix it. And it also risks MIF: maintenance induced failures. However, every rule has its exceptions. One of them is if the part in question is old, hard to access, and I'm already doing work that incidentally makes it...

The older I get, the quicker I lose fitness during activity pauses and the longer it takes to earn it back. And I can't get away with eating the crap that I could when I was younger. Over the years this has motivated me to exercise more regularly and eat better. Retirement has made that easier.