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Monday, September 6

Training and recovery day for the riders, while everyone continues to settle into a rhythm. The repair work gets more intense. Even during training rides, there has been crashing and problems.

This trials bike has a bit of shipping damage. The adjusting barrel broke, and was still inside, making an easy-out invaluable.

The stem of this trials bike had stripped threads. The original threads were 6mm. We had bolts of 1/4-inch by 20 threads per inch, a bit larger. The stem was tapped for 1/4-inch threading. You would have trouble finding a 1/4-inch bolt in France, but as Calvin is from Park Tool, it was in stock.

The bolt head for the stripped stem above was too large, so it was ground smaller with our die grinder held in the PRS-15. Matt Eames runs the cut off wheel as a grinder, while Calvin Jones rotates the bolt, held in a nut. The wrench sizes were SAE fraction ("english"), not metric, but we also have those tools in our collective shop.

The bolt was a bit too long, making it necessary to shorten the bolt.

The hotel is home for all our disciplines, including trials. These bikes have no seat, and many have one gear. In terms of mechanical abuse and strain per mile, nothing beats trials riding. Brian Yezierski (US Trials) can move from road to rail in a blink of the eye.

There are often modifications made on site. Cam Kowall (US Trials) feels the need to widen the rear brace. It is held secure in the PRS-15. It is a shop policy to check with the mechanics for drilling, cutting, filing or hitting the bikes.

Tuesday, September 7

More training for cross country and trials today. Downhillers can walk the course and discuss strategy, and will find places to ride, places we do not want to know about.

Security is always an issue at large events. Two French gendarmes are with us for security, and everything is bolted down. Bikes are always cabled and locked Kryptonite® tight, giving us security and peace of mind.

Some riders ride non-traditional set ups. The bike below runs only the outer ring with a 42-teeth, and a 32-teeth. The front derailleur ends up high over the ring, but if it were moved down, it would rub the inner ring with the inner cage when it shifting to the big ring. This derailleur is about 6-Euros (about 7mm) higher then the larger ring.

We have two rental vans, and today we had a flat tire before another airport run. Sam Jurekovic (XC- U23) lends a hand for the repair. Automotive lugs nuts typically run between 80 to 100 foot-pounds torque. The lug wrench here is about 12-inches (30-cm), so Sam needs to apply at least 80 pounds effort.

The bikes get very dirty, and a clean bike makes our work of finding and fixing problems easier. The PCS-9 is our rider wash stand, here holding a downhill bike. Unless you are a fit athlete like Judd Duvall (Elite Downhill) here, it is always best to brace your back before lifting these bikes.

Once again, we are working on a trials bike. Chip is removing, with force, the old race.

The new headset has a deep insertion, and the bike was not cut for this. It is reamed with the HTR-1 Reamer and Facer, here with the 769 extension for the reamer. This allows the bike to be cut for these types of headset. The head tube is now cut and ready to be cleaned, and then pressed.

Face plates on stems make bar replacement much easier. In the left image, we replaced a bent downhill bar. It is important to keep the face plate gap-to-stem even, or the bolts may bend. Secure each bolt a bit, working back and forth across the bar, until all bolts are at full torque.

In the image to the right, the gap is much wider at the bottom, which again, can stress the bolt heads.

We normally do not work in gloves, but this trials rider wanted NOTHING to touch his just ground rim braking surface. The rim surface looks badly scored... well, it is. He likes it that way.

It is now 23:00 hours, that is enough for today.

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