mugwump said:

konrad said:

Also, anybody have experience with putting new chainrings on a Quarq? Riken or Elsa. Shouldn't need to be sent back in for a recalibration, right?

Konrad,

The first thing is to get a torque wrench.  You want to torque the chainring bolts to spec.  I think it's 10Nm, but I don't have the brochure in front of me.  Make sure your bolts are steel, not aluminum.

The second thing. is are you replacing the rings with identical rings?  If yes, recalibration is unnecessary. If not, it could be a good idea.  Particularly if you're going to or from an aero outer chain ring.  If you're changing the teeth combinations, it could also be a good idea to recalibrate.

Recalibration is fairly simple, though you need a few things.  You need go get Qalvin operating (instructions here: https://www.quarq.com/store/item/1711/) and you need a proven weight of 20kg or more.  Once you have Qalvin and the weight, Qalvin will take you through the steps

(BTW, for my fellow Quarq users, Quarq released new firmware for the Riken and Elsa in June which should probably increase battery life)

Looking at a used Quarq without rings. They use Red rings, but I've got a few Force sets at home that I was just going to slap on.

Its official, I have the BB30 creak.  Went away after I torqued down the cranks, but it started making god awful noises again on the trainer.

I know BB30/pressfit bearings are supposed to be stiffer, lighter, makes you look more attractive and all that, but man I'd trade it in for less maintenance.  Would fitting a GXP or similar adapter get rid of the issues or will it be the same since the adapter threads need to be pressed in anyway?

@David
If you install a GXP or other adapter for 24mm cranks you'll also need to purchase such a crankset.

Did you use red loctite when you installed the bearings ? That works wonders (or at least it does on BB86 pressfit)

@David: I used Wheels Manufacturing BB30 adapter for my Campy Cranks for a while and they were very nice and quiet and absolutely trivial to install.

http://wheelsmfg.com/bb30-adapter-for-campagnolo-cranks.html

But I suggest just removing your cranks and spindle and cleaning everything and regreasing and reassembling. When was the last time you did that? Also regrease your pedal threads and consider the myriad other sources for creaking. I recently found that by simply removing my seat post and wiping it off fixed a creak problem!

Red loctite! Really?

Really.
From the park tool website

There can be two press fit complications with the BB30. If the press fit into the frame is too loose, the bearings may move in the shell when stressed by pedaling. This results in a creaking sound. To resolve this, first check the torque on crank bolts to determine if the crank-to-spindle interface is the source of the noise. If this fails and there is still creaking, it may be the cartridge bearing moving in the shell. The bearings should be removed and new ones installed. Press the new bearings into the frame using a retaining compound such as Loctite® RC™ 609. Even using a threadlocker such Loctite® 242 at would be better than pressing the bearings into the shell dry.

ian ellis said:

Really.
From the park tool website

Even using a threadlocker such Loctite® 242 at would be better than pressing the bearings into the shell dry.

Purdy pressed mine in dry, as I discovered on my #lasttripever to his shop.

David Yang said:

Its official, I have the BB30 creak.  Went away after I torqued down the cranks, but it started making god awful noises again on the trainer.

I know BB30/pressfit bearings are supposed to be stiffer, lighter, makes you look more attractive and all that, but man I'd trade it in for less maintenance.  Would fitting a GXP or similar adapter get rid of the issues or will it be the same since the adapter threads need to be pressed in anyway?

The BB30 with Hollowgram arms on my cx bike have been in place since 2007 with nary a creak.  Bearing action is really smooth.  And that bike has seen some serious slop.  The BB30 with adapters and GXP on my road bike barely had any creaking in the two years after Ride Brooklyn installed them.  As you know, I ride in the rain and snow.  I had them pulled and replaced this spring--used grease on the shell and in the bearings.  So far, so good, though the action despite installing ceramic bearings, doesn't seem as light.

I once spent $40 to get new BB30 bearings to fix a "creaky bottom bracket" that turned out to be a loose QR skewer.  You've checked all the things you think could be making the noise; now check the things that you don't think could be making the noise!

ian ellis said:. Press the new bearings into the frame using a retaining compound such as Loctite® RC™ 609. Even using a threadlocker such Loctite® 242 at would be better than pressing the bearings into the shell dry.

This is a bit more digestible. Neither of these is loctite 'red', which is meant to be permanent. 609 is a 'medium strength' compound for enhancing the strength of press fit assemblies (They call it green even though it seems to come in a red bottle). 242 is the familiar blue loctite that is for threads that need to eventually be disassembled (e.g., spoke nipples).

Thanks guys, I was going to swap in a Rival GXP set in anticipation of the stages deal later this year anyway so this might be a good excuse. RB did the install since I don't have press fit tools, and to be fair it was perfectly fine until recently after a series of sloppy weather riding.

I like my Rival aluminum cranks...trey stiff....trey black...trey cool

I have them on the Schwinn and they're the stiffest component on that bike.

(*The bike is built with Columbus SL tubing and is very bendy.)

I just spent about one hour mounting one tubeless tire.  My will to live is broken and my thumb has a blister.  Next time I'm using a CO2 cartridge.

Brendan Rigby said:

I just spent about one hour mounting one tubeless tire.  My will to live is broken and my thumb has a blister.  Next time I'm using a CO2 cartridge.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j73cxLiqc2U

I went through 7 smaller 12g  co2 cartridges while mounting my tubeless 29er tires. I wore a pair of my reading classes under my Ryder cycling glasses for eye protection  scared as I was of things blowing up in my face. I came away unscathed….. unless you count chilly fingers as an injury

The most compelling reason to switch for me was the ability for them to seal. I don't know if you've noticed, but there's an awful lot of crap on these roads that leads to flats.

No flats. Get it?

Punctures seal up and you don't get pinch flats as there's no tube. Pinch flats are more of an issue off road as your tires are smacking into things

Gwynna Smith said:

Sooooo, at the risk of starting a horrible flame war, can someone clearly and succinctly tell me why tubeless is so superior?... OTHER THAN PRESSURE, why should I switch?

If you read back through this thread, we've discussed the matter many times already.  

lower pressure and fewer flats aren't the same.  One has to do with traction and comfort, the other with puncture resistance and pinch avoidance.

I did it out of curiosity and because I didn't have to pay for the tires. With regards to flats, sealant can be loaded into a traditional tube if it has a removable core. Ease of use is not a feather in the tubeless cap as installation is harder.  Some data shows latex tubes and race clinchers still get better rolling resistance.

I've mounted 6 tubeless road tires. The first was challenging, the rest were a piece of cake. In fact, I was able to get them mounted using a floor pump. I don't think the mounting challenges should impact ones decision on going tubeless.

I had really good luck with them at Floyd a few years back. They're also perfect for winter training rides when the roads are extra grimy.

They do not roll. I've heard stories of MTB and cross tires burping air, but I attribute that to the wider sizes and lower pressures run in those formats. Their sidewalls do not flex, so they won't come off your wheels. That's what actually makes them hard to put on/get off. Lubricating them with soapy water does wonders during these processes.

I've never had an issue with mine. I've raced the shit out of them, including fast descents and technical crits.

Tires can also be swapped. It's not like they're glued on.

Sealant in your tubes, while effective, is not the same as sealant in your tires (... is not the same as sealant in your tubulars). Different ball of wax, especially when considering the way the tire is being held on to the rim. This is evident in the fact that while any MTB tire can be converted to tubeless, road tubeless requires specific tires.

Lennard Zinn has written extensively on methods to make tubeless installation easy. Check his archives on Velonews for more. There's a method to this madness!

The fact that I have to consult multiple resources to make it easy convinces me that it's not.  I used soapy water and a floor pump.

I suppose you can call me a luddite regarding tubeless. Seeing as I can swap a clincher/inner tube flat out in about 3 minutes- without getting sealant over me on the side of the road and using no tools other than my bare hands, I was not so interested.  Also, with my lightweight tubes (70g) and lightweight racing clinchers (195g- there is a 160g option but they remove the puncture-resistant belt which I am fond of) and 10g of rim tape my set up is lighter than a tubeless setup.  Finally, seeing as my tyres "roll" (what does that even mean) plenty comfy and plenty fast and I don't ever run less than 90 PSI, which is ample to avoid pinch flats, I lost interest.  I appreciate that there are positives to tubeless but to summarise, I can't be ducked.