Leah - first of all, I fully agree with what others have already said about getting a repair stand so you can more easily diagnose problems such as you're having with the Platypus. They are all across the board in both price and quality. Personally, I have a Park Tool 100-5C, which is at the more pricey end, but you can find others for less money that will still do the job.
Secondly, if you're really interested in diving into the "what makes things tick" waters of bike repair and maintenance, I have a manual that came with my Riv frame 16 years ago entitled, "The Bicycle Repair Book," Rob van der Plas, 1993 (latest revision) which would be more than comprehensive enough for your edification. I've rarely used it so you can have it for the asking. PM me (if such is still possible with this unfriendly Google Groups update) and I'd be happy to drop it in the mail to you. George On Saturday, December 5, 2020 at 10:09:37 PM UTC-6 Bicycle Belle Ding Ding! wrote: > All I want to do is just ride my raspberry Platypus. I have goals, a 3,000 > mile one for 2020, in fact, and I am 17.1 miles from reaching it. But > instead of basking in that, I have been riding around stressed out by all > the new sounds/ticks/rubs/whirs that my new bike is making. Add to that the > extra stress of not having the capability to fix things myself, which means > a 40 minute drive across town to the bros at the shop, who now know me on a > first name basis. Embarrassing. > > Let me be clear - Rivendell built the perfect frame. It’s getting all > these parts and wiring and fenders and gears to work, that’s the problem. > > I tell you, I remember this with the Clem, too. I could tell it was a > great bike, so much fun to ride, not that I was having much fun... I was > riding around, swerving, with my head cocked analyzing foreign sounds and > vibrations coming from this strange beast beneath me. Maybe the shop > installed stuff wrong, I’d think (which was the case more than once). Maybe > something has come loose and the bike is about to fall apart beneath me, > I’d think. But the Clem got all ironed out and became perfect and now here > I am at ground zero again with this pretty Platypus. > > Today I went 22 miles, but not without complications. Both the Clem and > the Platypus have something rubbing. I rode around on the Platypus in bad > form leaning my ear to hear - “Is that one sound or two sounds?” “Is that > rubbing or a strange vibrating?” “Is this what the Schmidt dyno hub sounds > like? I don’t think my Shutter Precision makes this sound.” “Maybe it’s the > fender.” “What if the tape is coming off the dyno wiring?” “I think that > screw is too close!” Lastly, the stem started clicking when I apply light > pressure to it. > > And this game has been going on since the Friday after Thanksgiving when I > assumed custody of this rowdy Platypus. > > All I want is to stop playing this game. Ride my bike in peace, which > means listening to the familiar whirring and humming as I pedal. I want to > feel how nice the ride is, instead of being distracted by sounds that could > be indicative of doom. I don’t want rubs, clicks, or anything janky going > on. I want familiar! It has me completely bummed out; a heaviness of heart, > that’s what I’m having. > > What I want to know if if the rest of you experience this agony. It’s not > easy to admit, for fear of looking ungrateful. Fact is, I am wholeheartedly > grateful for this bike, and it is one of the few good things to happen to > me in 2020. But will this long-awaited bike ever get straightened out? > > So, who else can relate and what stories do you have? It would feel nice > if this was normal, instead of being unique to mechanically-challenged me. > > In the next post I’ll include a video what the bike was doing to me today. > Name that sound! > 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 on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/7148ce94-3444-43a0-81f7-9cc4396b819en%40googlegroups.com.
