Handlebar shims are the worst. Unfortunately I like the Nitto lugged stems which are 26.0 and all of the handlebars that I have (except for the Frank Jones Sr) are 25.4. Add in that the Nitto shims are two piece and larger in width than the stem. So I have to trim the shims which makes them even harder to install. A few months (years?) back, Rivendell sold some 1 piece shims and I bought two. I have yet to install them. Fortunately, I have yet to tape the bars on my Custom (5 years?) so at least I don’t have to deal with re-taping the bars. I have switched back and forth between 100 and 90 stems a couple of times. The paralysis of analysis. Faceplaters would make life easier, but I am not a fan of the way that they look. One nice thing about bullmoose and boscomoose bars is they simplify bar adjustment to up and down and they never slip.
I have way too many bikes and have never even considered trying sealant. Sealant is a solution to a non-existent problem in my mind. When a tire gets low I just pump it up. I have no idea what a goathead is. I did put a set of TPU tubes on the Custom - no problems yet. I have been playing musical tires though. I bought a set of Rene Herse 700x44 Corkscrew Climb semi-slicks to replace the 700x44 Snoqualmie Pass tires on my Rosco Bubbe V1 gravel bike. I then put the Snoqualmie Pass tires on my Frank Jones Sr to replace the 700x38 Barlow Pass tires. They fit the Frank Jones Sr, no problem - definitely a cushier ride now. Funny how 38mm has become a narrow tire. 700x19 and 27x1 were a long time ago. Laing Delray Beach FL On Thu, Mar 20, 2025 at 12:31 PM Kainalu V. -Brooklyn NY < [email protected]> wrote: > > I personally think shims are pretty great!, certainly best to avoid, but > when they’re necessary to use in order to use what you’ve got, great. > One thing I was curious about was your method of sealant refilling. Sounds > like you pop the bead out of the wheel and pour it in? Then hope for a > relatively mess free reseating? It works, but not as good as sending it > through the valve stem. If you’re not familiar, your presta valves on your > tubeless wheel sets have easily removable cores that, when removed, provide > an open tube into the tire. Orange seal sells these small bottles with the > properly sized feeder tubes to make it easy and clean. They also provide a > dipstick/reamer to clear that tube into the tire in case that sealant has > sealed over the valve. It’s very straightforward and rarely messy, and no > reseating of the tire necessary, just pump it up and you’re on your way. > As for my bike life lately, I’m working on a rack for my Clem, and was > scrounging for small bits of brazing rod last week to finish some small > stuffs and accidentally used some brass rod that looked the part. Didn’t > “flow” like it was supposed to, but all’s well after some filing and a trip > to the olde welding shoppe. > Last question- do you and anybody else out there dedicated to friction > shifting swap your lower and upper derailleur pulleys? I believe the idea > is that no side to side float on the upper pulley gives more feedback to > your body’s sensors when it’s not settled, and presumably could lead to > less ghost shifting? > Curious. > -Kai > > > [image: IMG_1038.jpeg]. > > > > > On Thursday, March 20, 2025 at 8:23:58 AM UTC-4 Bicycle Belle Ding Ding! > wrote: > >> Ooh, John, fork stops - I did not know about these. I also have a purple >> Platypus with a Nitto Basket Rack and the bars DO swing around and hit the >> top tube at times. I will go find your thread so I can see what those are. >> >> Also, I thought the same re: shims. But this was the rec from RBW so I >> went along with it. More clamping surface, and such. I am not an engineer, >> just a layperson in that world but I find the flaking of steel unnerving. >> And this is my SON’S bike, and heaven forbid I would ever set him up with >> something that could be unsafe. (This college kid thinks nothing about the >> bike. He *might* notice a flat tire, but I doubt it. He just rides it and >> enjoys it and thinks absolutely nothing else about it. I got him new tires, >> dynamo, and better gearing and he noticed none of it on the inaugural ride.) >> >> Jay - I have the exact same feelings you do but none of the skill. I >> cannot convert bars and install cables and housing…kudos to you for trying >> and muddling through when the parts aren’t playing nicely together. I do >> not lay in bed and rack my brain over mechanical problems - I hand wring >> and feel anxious and desperate until I arrive in Pedal’s parking lot and >> see glorious, wonderful M working at the stand. I don’t have anything wrong >> that he can’t put right. I used to cry in Vegas bike shop parking lots >> because it never went well and they never understood my bikes and I often >> left their shops with new problems. But this shop - they usually get it >> right, so if hearts come out of my eyes when I see them, it’s to be >> expected because of my long and tragic Bike Shop History. I have been there >> enough that I now have a labor code in the computer -the “Leah Labor Code” >> and I’m not joking. For a time there was a Leah Shelf with stuff for my >> bikes on it. I am their best, most hapless customer. >> >> Everyone tells me it’s not hard to work on bikes. That you can’t really >> mess things up. But I find it astounding how many little things you can get >> wrong that make the bike unsafe. A couple months ago I had my new stem >> slammed and guess what - that’s dangerous. Guess what else - it can get >> stuck. Another problem glorious, wonderful M had to fix for me. >> >> L >> >> On Mar 20, 2025, at 7:19 AM, John Robert Williams <[email protected]> >> wrote: >> >> >> >> Good Morning Leah....I feel your pain....I'm 3-4 hours north of you and >> not only do we have the wind off the frigid lake, we've had SNOOOOW...all >> the schools are closed up here today in TVC. >> >> On your tire issue, if you cannot put the bike on the stand because of >> not enough exposed seat post, try hanging your bike on the top of the >> repair stand by the nose of the saddle...yes, it may rock back and forth, >> but they balance quite nicely up there. At least it gets the wheel/tire up >> off the ground and allows you to spin the wheel to slosh the sealant around >> before pumping it up. A trick I learned from the sealant guys, (but it >> takes removing your wheel) is to put in the sealant in and then lay the >> wheel across the top of a 5 gallon bucket (or any bucket, I guess). Then >> flip it over, wobble it like a hula-hoop to get the sealant into all the >> cracks along the bead. Let it sit for 5 mins at least per side. It always >> works for me. >> >> On the shim front (pun intended), it's at best a draconian crude "patch" >> of a mis-match. Stems that don't fit bars, or vice-versa, are just a >> full stop for me. They are never a tight, snug fit. Then, as you have found >> they dig in and do unnecessary damage to the bar. Shims are a weak attempt >> to blend old and new standards. Buy the stem to fit the bar. NITTO's are >> nice, but they are not the only game in town. >> >> On the paint chip, I hear you there too! It would be nice if RBW made >> some nice small logo stickers that acted like band-aids over a zit. A >> classy solid cover-up that looks like it belongs there. (you seem to have >> their ear!). Before I put the fork stops on the Platypus, the front rack >> whipped around and took a nice chunk out of the downtube, the first day. >> GRRR! Oh well, I'm treating it like a warn-in pair of jeans. They can't >> stay showroom perfect forever. >> >> Please do the WARM UP Sunshine dance for us....the next ten days look >> like sheer misery here. >> >> I hope this helps! >> >> JohnRobertWilliams >> Traverse City, MI >> >> On Wed, Mar 19, 2025 at 10:23 PM Bicycle Belle Ding Ding! < >> [email protected]> wrote: >> >>> I just want to talk bikes for a little bit. Threads with subjects are >>> great and all, but so is talking shop. And we are about to hit a spate of >>> cold weather here in SW Michigan and I am a little morose after a few days >>> of Pretend Spring. I did get 25 miles in today and Monday, but now I want >>> to talk shop. >>> >>> I don’t know what you all have been up to, but I have been fighting with >>> and fidgeting with my bikes. >>> >>> Recently, I went through a great stem swap where I changed over most of >>> my bikes to Faceplater stems. I even put one on my college boys’ big old >>> Clem with Bosco bars. I even used my new torque wrench, and…the bars >>> slipped! So now I have new Albatross bars and stem and shims because Riv >>> believes this 31.8 clamp will grip 25.4 bars better. I have little >>> experience with shims. And what I have learned about them is that they will >>> set you to cussing. You want the bars centered, but then the shims slink >>> out of their spot. When you want to nudge them just a bit, they have bitten >>> into the center of the Albatross bar and you must find a way to knock them >>> loose. Then the whole bar moves and you have to re-center and line up the >>> gaps in shim/clamp. When you knock the shims loose a few times you realize >>> there are metal shavings on your fingers, which means you are damaging >>> stuff. And every time you decide to adjust the position you have to fight >>> with the shims AND loosen and re-tighten 4 bolts with your torque wrench. I >>> have emailed 2 people about this, badgering them to check my work and say >>> it’s safe. I made peace with the shims being a millimeter uneven because at >>> least the bars are centered. Then I went to wash the metal shavings off my >>> hands. >>> >>> Shims. In short, I hate them. >>> >>> During the Great Stem Swap of ‘25, I managed to drop a hex wrench. I >>> heard the ping of it striking the top tube of my raspberry Platypus on its >>> way down. Ah, my first real paint chip, and right in a place I’ll see every >>> day. Tonight, I painted that chip with nail polish I found in a close color >>> match. It’s passable, but sad. >>> >>> I turned my attention to the mermaid Platypus, which I have no good >>> excuse to have anymore, and noticed the rear tire is flat again. This is >>> because on Monday, I decided I would top off the sealant, and could not be >>> bothered to put the bike in the stand. The clamp on the stand needs more >>> seatpost and I didn’t want to raise my saddle. So I did it with the bike on >>> the kickstand and was never able to recover the seal between rim and tire. >>> I have gotten by with this in the past. Got cocky and have now been brought >>> low. Every week, and you can set your watch by it, I do the walk of shame >>> into the shop. I fling open their door, the cowbell rings, and I announce, >>> “Guys! A terrible thing has happened!” I will go there again tomorrow >>> because a terrible thing has happened - that seal did not hold and we are >>> back to flat tire and dripping sealant. They are sick of me at this point >>> but they are Michiganders, good folk through and through, and they do not >>> let on. >>> >>> Meanwhile, Charlie. I’ve been running away with Charlie on club rides. >>> High winds have really cramped our style. Charlie and I are on a learning >>> curve. I try and find out if the sounds he’s making are benign or >>> malignant. There was a screeching pedal (a terrible thing that happened!) >>> that my shop addressed. But now there is ghost shifting and something >>> whirring when I stand to climb and toss my weight on the drive side of the >>> bike. Charlie had been denied his accoutrements because I tried to make him >>> Pure Road Bike and keep his accessories minimal. We failed miserably and >>> I’ve junked up the bars just like Charlie’s a Platypus. The final piece, >>> his German mirror, arrived today. I still don’t know if Charlie is any >>> faster than a Platypus. Nothing is fast in these winds. We are out there >>> shredding our thighs, trying to brave winds and get fit for the season with >>> Charlie and his junked-up non-aero bars. >>> >>> What have you all been up to? Are you having the same struggles? Who >>> else is wanting to throw up their hands and just talk shop? >>> Leah >>> >>> >>> -- >>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google >>> Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. >>> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send >>> an email to [email protected]. >>> To view this discussion visit >>> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/5175834e-31c3-4cea-87cb-37ee34020bdan%40googlegroups.com >>> <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/5175834e-31c3-4cea-87cb-37ee34020bdan%40googlegroups.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> >>> . >>> >> >> >> -- >> John Robert Williams >> >> >> >> -- >> >> You received this message because you are subscribed to a topic in the >> Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. >> To unsubscribe from this topic, visit >> https://groups.google.com/d/topic/rbw-owners-bunch/ksvlbi-Jd6w/unsubscribe >> . >> To unsubscribe from this group and all its topics, send an email to >> [email protected]. >> To view this discussion visit >> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/CAC9csfddSL-XZ0oqJ3w%3DtiDkPj5-LXn7Xt5cL%3DE7_LFAQ9Zyhg%40mail.gmail.com >> <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/CAC9csfddSL-XZ0oqJ3w%3DtiDkPj5-LXn7Xt5cL%3DE7_LFAQ9Zyhg%40mail.gmail.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> >> . >> >> -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "RBW Owners Bunch" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > To view this discussion visit > https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/51fd15ac-1390-4ff8-8fa1-4cf6e89040b3n%40googlegroups.com > <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/51fd15ac-1390-4ff8-8fa1-4cf6e89040b3n%40googlegroups.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> > . > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/CADXkOiONmgxPquHkqU9p02TC8dp-T59TbaT115-T8CrDt2Z24w%40mail.gmail.com.
