Consensus from those who know a whole lot more about these things than I was that I was having bottom bracket problems. This was interesting as, my ignorance of bike topography being what it is, until it started making a racket I did not even know I had a bottom bracket.
Anyway this provided the chance of getting my hands oily and so took spanner to bike. I discovered that I have a rather special bottom bracket (or BB as I now know to call it) as I have a FSA SLK crank. This is a rather nifty design that has an integrated, oversized BB called a MegaExo http://www.fullspeedahead.com/fly.aspx?layout=product&taxid=21&pid=434
This needed a special tool (as ever) to detach from the bike so I paid a quick visit to AW Cycles at Reading about who I had heard good things http://www.awcycles.co.uk/
They had the tool I needed (Park Tools BBT-9 for anyone interested) and also it must be said a rather spiffing range of bikes, including a candidate for blingest bike - a limited edition Giant with 24 carat gold plating (not sure how weight saving this is!)
http://www.awcycles.co.uk/products.php?plid=m1b8s6p1289
This is available for only £4450...I resisted the chance to buy it but did succumb to the rather more modest temptation of a new pair of Look cleats and covers.
Back to the bike last night I used the new tool to remove brackets and sure enough they were rather grotty inside. I put this down to combination of bad weather in France and me, not knowing it was meant to be sealed, copiously oiling.
Fortunately FSA have a super now MegaExo which is "ceramic".
http://www.fullspeedahead.com/fly.aspx?layout=product&taxid=29&pid=759
Being a bit of a sucker for new fangled goodies I have ordered one of these and hope it arrives in time for me to fit and try out next Tuesday. Watch this space
No comments:
Post a Comment