CitroJim's AX, C3 Picasso, Cycling and Running Tales

[CitroJim]

It would be a shame to see a good activa scrapped Jim, but I understand how you feel.

It would be a shame to scrap the Activa Davie... I'm sure someone will take it and offer it a good home... As I say, I'm open to offers I'm sure as heck not going to put it on eBay or any other sales sites - far too much stress

No idea if we have any auctions locally...

I'm sticking with Vuelta as my nomination. I know you didn't invite them but it's kind of irresistible to chip in.

I like it James I think she's now has a name

[xantia_v6]

If you can't find a suitable buyer, you could try to donate it to a museum, I would think that there must be one who would want an Activa in their collection.

[CitroJim]

If you can't find a suitable buyer, you could try to donate it to a museum, I would think that there must be one who would want an Activa in their collection.

That's a good idea Mike... Worth looking into... The Haynes Museum has a display of red cars and currently lacks a red Activa

[daviemck2006]

Haynes museum may well go for that, with an activa being technologically advanced and rare.

[CitroJim]

Had an interesting 'mechanical' on my daily rider bike the other day...

The gear selection on the rear derailleur was becoming rather vague and woolly and in the end I could only get 9 of the 11 gears on offer...

Investigations revealed a very work and frayed selector cable at the shifter end...

This is allegedly a common problem on Ultegra systems and is blamed on the tight radii the cable takes to get to the shifter selector drum.

Cable replaced and the gearchange is now transformed...

The replacement was not easy as the majority of the cable runs inside the frame and some clever 'fishing' is needed...

The pictures show how badly the old cable had gone. It had almost failed...

Own Work

Own Work

Good job I caught it when I did as had that happened out on the road I'd have been reduced to one gear - top gear!

[Hell Razor5543]

I wonder if coating the cable in Waxoyl might help cut down on the wear?

[CitroJim]

I wonder if coating the cable in Waxoyl might help cut down on the wear?

I believe they're designed to run dry as they run in Teflon coated outers James...

I fear Waxoyl may be far too viscous for such an application in any case - especially in the cold!

Some PTFE lube might be a good idea though - I must do some further research

[elma]

I had 2 cable policies Jim.

Number one was to use the cheapest acceptable cables and outers. I'd buy the inners in bulk and replace them often. The outers I'd spray through with gt85 until it ran clean. I didn't have a compressor back then, I'd use a bit of gt85 and blow them through nowadays. Outers I'd only replace if they perished or had housed frayed inners.

Number two was to buy super expensive Gore Ride On cables that have a larger inner diameter on the outer. This allows them to use a third plastic tube essentially that you slide the inner cable into and makes them mud proof. It's by far the best cable system ever but costs about as much as a used entry level bike. Hence it was only ever on my best bike.. I'm not sure they would be a good idea on your Ultegras though. They'd be amazing but if the angle of the cable inside the shifter is so acute it damages the cable quickly it would be horribly expensive.

Regarding grease so far as I've seen some people put a little bit of grease into the outers with a grease gun, others just do a little dab on the cable near the shifter so it's in the first section of inner. Personally I think it's a bad idea because it tends to attract dirt that degrades the performance of the cable. As a mountain biker though I encountered different elements to you though so maybe it isn't a bad idea on road bikes.

[CitroJim]

James, thanks for that Good, interesting information!

One reason I was reluctant to apply any lube of any sort was that the old inner was very sticky (with oil or grease perhaps) and in consequence had picked up a load of contamination on its exposed parts and this, I felt, may well have contributed to its failure.

On my bike there's very little conventional outer at all, just a few inches from the shifter to the frame egress point and then another few inches from the frame exit point to the deraillier. I did blow these two short lengths of outer clean with the air line.

The gearchange is now beautifully silky-smooth and precise; a joy to use in fact and better than it's ever been

[Stickyfinger]

Locksmiths stock graphite power in "puffer" bottles......great stuff.

[CitroJim]

Locksmiths stock graphite power in "puffer" bottles......great stuff.

Yes, now that's an excellent thought Alasdair

If it's good enough for locks then...

[Stickyfinger]

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Kasp-K30050-Gr ... CDVGQCCARB

[CitroJim]

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Kasp-K30050-Gr ... CDVGQCCARB

Just what the doctor ordered... In fact some is now on order

[Zelandeth]

Here's one possibility Jim - though it is somewhat dependant on my managing to shift the Skoda rapidly (which I'm hoping will happen soon as the longer it sits around the more trouble it will cause me).

How about I take custody of the Activa, paying an amount we could probably agree on, get a test on it and give it a bit of regular exercise to allow us to produce a to do list in the unlikely event that there actually is one. Then come the spring, which I've found tends to be the best time to sell classics I look to sell it on and we split the proceeds - or if it turns out that I wind up sufficiently attached to it, I buy it in full myself for a price we could agree beforehand.

Either way it gets it out from under your nose quickly, and could well wind up with you getting a better price for the car than trying to sell it rapidly. Also means that you don't have to do any of the interfacing with the buyer at the end of the day.

I'm typing this while rather jetlagged so I might have made it sound more complicated than it needs to be...if it can wait a couple of weeks I'm more than happy to drop by to have a face to face chat on the topic.

...equally, if someone offers you a good price, go for it!

Being honest I'd love to own one anyway, I'm just a bit apprehensive about the complexities of maintaining an Activa long term, and also I only have so much parking space!

[CitroJim]

Zel, I reckon there's a good plan brewing there

Maintenance of the Activa would be no issue as you'd always have me just around the corner...

We must discuss at great length when you return - a perfect excuse to go somewhere good for a coffee