Calling All DIY Experts

[chunkygull]

Heres the story -

For the best part of this year I have been trying really hard to lose weight. I have recently really stepped up the exercise and have been using a treadmill, an exercise bike and a punchbag. The treadmill is broke, probably an electrical fault. I was getting on well with it. Never mind.

However, the bike is a staple part of my new fitness regime and one of the few exercises i can handle and do well because I am still way out of shape and over weight. i have lost 5 stone since I started, in particular quite a bit recently, mainly thanks to the bike. I have had the bike for 13 months and its now out of guarantee, but it has had nowhere near a years use. I waited until i was under the maximum useage weight before starting with it.

So the pedals have fixed bolts to attach to the pedal arms, which are attached and fixed inside the machines casing, you cannot remove them. The bolt hole on the pedal arm is worn, the thread is stripped and the hole is too big. i cannot return the bike and I cannot take the pedal arm off to get a spare part.

I have tried gumming up the hole and bonding the pedal with a really hardcore adhesive, but it didnt take. I have read about a thread repair system called heli coil which sounds simple and great, but cannot find it in the uk. I have seen online tap and die sets but they look complicated and expensive for a big set, I only need one thing. Are they any good? Would they be worth a try? Where can i get a cheap, small set?

I have even thought about getting the pedal welded on. would this be viable? is there anywhere that would do it?

We have drilled a hole into the bolt and used a screw and washer to fix it in place, but we cant get the screwdriver to the screw sufficiently because of the bikes casing being in the way. Cant take it apart. I need a screwdriver with an angle. Any ideas?

These manufacturers dont design and make these things so you can repair or replace easily. Its ridiculous.

I really need to get back on my exercise bike as I am well and truly in the habit and doing well, its actually driving me nuts not being able to exercise. I dont want to buy a new bike because this one has hardly had its useage yet. I tried more aerobic stuff this week, plus jogging and jogging on the spot, my hamstrings are killing because i am still too heavy for that sort of thing. =Z I need to get back on my bike!!!

Please, please, please, does anyone have any ideas or reccommendations to fix the hole for the bolt? I would be very grateful.

[Gullscorer]

I take the view that there's always a way around every problem. Even if you don't know how, somebody knows a man who does.
Unfortunately I can't help with this particular one Chunky, except that I recently read the following comment somewhere:

'You can't exercise your way out of poor nutrition...'

[chunkygull]

Thanks for the rely GS. I agree with the sentiment that someone must know about this sort of thing.

I have learnt a lot about nutrition and dietry needs this year, the exercise has only really stepped up in the last few months. I use a website called my fitness pal to keep a track of my daily intake and what I should be having GDA wise. Typing in all food and then exercise activity gives a calculation of what I should be losing and what my weight will be and that is great motivation. At the moment I live mainly on toast and marmite, weetabix, occasionally jacket spud, stir fry veg and chicken. 1 day a week I have a few naughty things but only keeping under my GDA's and with exercise. I use my bike 6 days a week now and really need it, I do other things also but the bike is great cardio and seems to be working wonders for me. Its driving me nuts not using it.

[Scott Brehaut]

My advice is:

Don't bother.

Diets are bollocks. Keeping fit is bollocks.

We're all going to die, may as well die fat and happy, instead of miserable on an exercise bike

[Gullscorer]

I found these links for thread repair kits. A few of them seem reasonably priced:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_nkw=h ... epair+kits
https://www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/sear ... ory/page/1
http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/?ie=UTF8&keyw ... e6n19tw2_b
http://www.bikerstoolbox.co.uk/acatalog ... epair.html
http://www.repairengineering.com/helicoil.html


Otherwise I suppose you could enquire about welding at a metalworks or possibly a vehicle repair garage.

[Glostergull]

I got a diet for you. will help on all accounts
Take one wheatbixxie Biscuit. crush it up in a bowl
Take one Aero bar with all it's bubbles and break it up and spread it all over the wheetabixie in the bowl
Eat and be happy
And there you have it. Aerobix

[Dave]

Don't listen to them chunky, firstly congratulations on losing 5 stone, top effort, as for fixing your exercise bike sorry cant help you. To be honest if it was me chunky would ditch the costly exercise equipment, forget expensive gym memberships.

One of the best exercises you can do as part of a weight loss programme and it's totally free, walking, I've been doing it for a while now, and lost weight gone from XXL to L shirts in less than a year recently started using mapmywalk.com to help me, try swimming as well, cardio alone isn't enough, are doing strength training ? it's a must, have a look on you tube plenty of ideas some free that you can do at home with out equipment such as the good old Plank, need lean proteins as well, stop you from losing muscle tone.

Above all, if you enjoy what your doing and it works for you, keep doing it.

[Gullscorer]

Good advice from Forevertufc.

I presume you've stopped eating the Kit Kat Chunky bars, Chunky...??

:~D

[Southampton Gull]

Helicoiling is a motor trade used when bolts have stripped a thread etc, there are numerous firms that do it and a lot are mobile. It needn't cost you a lot, I think the last time I used one he charged me £35.

[chunkygull]

Thanks for the replies everyone.

I have been to a couple of places today to get a recoiling kit but all they had was either very big and expensive tap and die kits or they were trying to sell me glue.

There are some decent, very reasonably priced kits on ebay, so they might be a goer, but I am unsure of which size I need.

Gullscorer, thanks for all the threads, and no Kit Kat chunkys for me now. Biscuit Boost was always my usual choccy vice though. All I have now as a weekly sweet thing is butterscotch Angel Delight on a Friday night. ITS NEARLY TIME!

Forever, I did start off with more walking, and it helped, its only since August I have really stepped it up and used my equipment. It hasnt cost me anything really because the equipment I have has been collected over time, I have quite a few gadgets and things some I have had for a few years and havent used it. The treadmill was for the wife and it was 2nd hand. A lot of my exercise equipment was actually Christmas and Birthday presents off my Mum, trying to encourage me to get my fat ass in shape. Tomorrow Im dragging my old, never really used cross trainer/elliptical out of the shed.

Scott, part of me agrees with your sentiment :~D , but I am fed up with being so fat, I mean really fat, dangerously fat, its only now I have lost a bit I realise just how fat I was. 5 down, 6 to go should tell you roughly how overweight I was/am. I cant stop anyway, I started off with Hypnotherapy and Cognotive Behavior Therapy and its working, I swear thats whats driving me to eat healthy and less, and exercise like mad, I just cant help it, everyday I want to do it, not being able to do my usual stuff this week has driven me crazy. Its got to be the Hypnotism because the old/usual me wouldnt have done any of this.

Anyway, Im not going to try any more glue or adhesives just yet, Im going to go and see the garage where I get my car done and ask them if they can either recoil/rethread the bolt hole or if it comes to it weld the bloody pedal on.

[ferrarilover]

Don't be too quick to say that it won't be fixed by the manufacturer.

Your guarantee has expired, but SOGA still applies. I haven't had to go to it for a while, but memory tells me of a six year period of reliance.

Either you or I (pro-tip: you, motherfucker!) should get on Google and see what that has to say on the subject of fitness for purpose. Assuming the bike wasn't a £4.99 eBay special, you might have a case.

Matt.

[ferrarilover]

SOGA 1979 s.14(2B)(e).

[Gullscorer]

I believe the six year period is the time limit for taking a case to court if you have to.

If you have to reject sub-standard/faulty goods this must be done in a 'reasonable time', the length of which will depend upon the nature of the goods.

Since you've had the bike for over 13 months I think the onus would be on you to prove the problem was there during manufacture.