Do I Wait For Bike Parts Or Do I Tear It Down Yet Again? Both. A Sarcastic Look At Bike Repair.

I'm learning.  Some of the tech in my bicycle are truly old school for me.  I am used to a certain way of rebuilding a wheel bearing - you don't.  You clean the thing and when it gets noisy or slow, you pop the thing out and pop in a new one.

That is how it is done on an inline skate.  Bearings are a known quantity, and you can get them for about $1 a piece or less in bulk these days.  While you get what you pay for, the little steel donuts snap into the plastic wheel easily.

A bicycle wheel hub bearing, in my case, is a Cup And Ball affair.  You have to have specialized tools to get at the bearing because the whole thing is held in place by a washer against the balls.  A nut that is tightened against a second nut will brace it all together.

There are other variations on this theme that are more like my inline skates, and if these wheels did use those "608RS" bearings, I would know how to manage it.

I was warned to make sure that the wheel had an axle that was straight by rolling across a flat surface and make sure that I knew how far down the threads the two nuts were on the axle.  

Luckily I did have the presence of mind to count the number of turns to remove the one side.  

The whole two nut method seems a bit janky to me.  First a washer is threaded on the axle.  Then the first nut is spun onto the threads on the axle to a specific depth (hence the measurements in what had to be millimeters).  A second nut is spun on the axle until it makes contact to the first one.  The affair will work but you have to tighten the second nut with one wrench while the first one is held in place with a "Cup Wrench".  That wrench is a thinner one, in my case it was a 15 MM wrench from pressed steel.

Now to remove all of this, you have to use that Cup Wrench to hold the first nut and loosen the second (outer) nut.  This is all done with the wheel off of the bike preferably on a workbench and not in my kitchen sink.  Like I did.  

Because once you remove that first pair, your axle will drop into the sink and the old balls will disappear down the drains.  Luckily I was smart enough to line the sink with parchment paper and place a screen in the drain to catch the errant bearings.

Now that you lost one or two of the balls, or more, you are swearing at the Gods of the Sport that you hate this process and you understand why your local trusted Bike Shop charges you a $35 "Inspection charge". 

Get that paper towel you have over in the corner by the toaster oven, since you did decide that you didn't want to clear off the workbench when you used it to rebuild the sprinkler heads back in 2019, and are using the kitchen sink.

We did warn you not to do that didn't we?  Oh well, make the best of it just don't let anyone know you are using up the parchment paper.  If you do, you will have to get more if you ever want any more home baked goods.

While you are at it make sure you have your rubber gloves on.  The ones that you had during Lockdown from a couple years back will work if they haven't melted into a blue gummy mess.

Wipe out all the old balls from the cup.  Squirt the grease into the cup when it is cleaned with new lithium grease.  No, not the same ones you used in 2009 to grease the jalousie windows on the house, that stuff is dried out or spoiled.  Go to the auto parts store and get the new tube.  It's under $20 and will last forever.  Look for the NGLI #2 rating.

Don't put too much of the stuff on because you really only need enough to line the cup and hold the new balls in place.  Oh right, you did get new balls didn't you?  You didn't? Too bad.  Go online, you will probably want 1/4 inch balls to go in the wheel but luckily all this stuff is cheap.  If you can't wait, go to the nearest big Bike Shop and beg for at least 20 bearings per wheel.

Now that your bike is unusable because you don't have all the crap you need to put it back together, go have a beer and wait for the delivery truck.  Those Sports Gods?  They are really ticking you off by now.

Ok, so days later the truck arrives with your balls.  All 200 of them for cheap.  You will need about 9 of them per side.  The ones that fell down your sink trap are not needed except since you're replacing the darn things you need to count all that stuff out.

Your axle has the two nuts in place retaining the washer.  Squirt a moderate amount of grease into the cup.  Place the 9 (or so) balls into the grease.  Swear at the Sport Gods since you dropped one or more into an inaccessible place in the wheel or down the drain.  You didn't clean off your workbench again, and you are annoyed because you are running low on parchment paper.  Use an old shopping bag for now.

You do need a lot of help don't you?

Once you get the balls in place, and there are a lot of them, gingerly thread that axle through to the opposite side keeping the balls from falling down the sink or into your wheel hub.  Pull the axle through to make contact with the balls and you can safely flip the wheel to begin the process on the other side.  At this point I set the bike on the paper on the counter to hold the balls in the wheel.  It made it easier to do the second side.

Repeat your work squirting the lithium grease in the cup, and setting the new bearings in place.  Once all that is done, you can put the washer down the axle and then the two nuts.

You remember going nuts, right?  Spin the first one against the washer but not too tight because you will bind your wheel up.  If it is too loose it will rattle against the axle and you will not have a smooth ride - or worse.  Catastrophic failure of a wheel hub will give you a bad time.  Just ask my Orthopedic Surgeon.  He said my shoulders paid for his new BMW.

After all this is done you put the second nut on that side.  Using the famed Cup wrench, hold the first nut in place, then tighten the second nut in to hold the first one.  

Mind you, all of this has to be done to the same measurements you had before.  You wrote all this information down as you were working on it right?

I didn't think so.  

Now you are considering why you ride a bike in your adulthood in the first place, have grease all over your good T-Shirt and pants, and are swearing that the Sport Gods are really just out to get you.

But if you have done all this work correctly, the axle will not be too tight, it will not rattle when moved up and down or in and out, and you can spin the whole wheel like a gyroscope.

Now that you have done all of this, you have to realize I was talking about the front wheel.  The back one?  Let me tell you, Friend, you need a specialized tool to take the gearset off the back wheel.  You use a crescent wrench with a breaker bar and a hammer to loosen the thing as well as that tool.

Just button the stuff up and take it to the bike shop if you aren't feeling confident. 

In my case I am still waiting for the delivery truck.  There is a new gearset coming since the first one was a "Freehub" and not a "Freewheel" like I need.

Oh?  You are asking what is the difference?  Well that is the $14 question since I got the wrong type for the bike I have.

Freewheel has a ratchet on the inside of the gearset.  If you spin it it will make that ticking sound but it will not come off the gearset once you remove that from the bike.  Or, at least it didn't when I tried.  I did not have the best luck with this.

Freehub has the ratchet assembly on the hub of the wheel.  Your gearset will not have any moving parts.

So have I convinced you not to do this work?  I will say that after all is said and done, my parts are arriving tomorrow after my three time a week marathon on the bike.  I'll be installing it this weekend while my "Support Team" is in Sarasota Florida.  Lucky Them.

You have a decision to make.  It really isn't as bad as it sounds, and I am just a little bit cynical about it all.  I am very picky about having wheels that will swing like a pendulum when they are hanging on a bike rack.  A very light touch and they should spin freely like that.  Any noises mean it is energy that you are putting into the sport that is going to waste.

So yes, I'm a bit of a perfectionist.  Why not?  

If you will excuse me, I have a workout to squeeze in before the trials of the day begin.  Do what you have to to get a good workout on the trails, no matter your sport.

Complete Rebuild Help On Bike Wheels, Front and Back. Zen and the Art of Bicycle Maintenance.

Here's the deal.  The videos on Youtube and all the other services help. This blog posting will help if it ever gets read.  

It is a deep dive in what I went through to rebuild the two wheels on the bike.  

People don't have time to read these days.  This is more for me to see what I did a couple years down the line so that I can repeat the process.  

If you follow these instructions and watch the video, you should be able to figure this all out, but your mileage may vary.  

Standard Internet Warranty applies - www.Ramblingmoose.com makes no guarantees of completeness or of process or of anything at all.  If you wreck your bike, I'm sorry and that was not my doing, it is yours.  If you are unsure of anything and know me, drop a note and I'll try to talk you through it.  I'm just a retired guy trying to save a couple hundred dollars that I don't have.  I did and you may not.  I don't begrudge a bike shop their money when their expertise is being used, but it doesn't pay for me not to learn how to do this stuff on my own.

But.

There are always details you will miss.  I will try to keep this as brief as possible.

The video that convinced me that I was able to do this rebuilding on my own is included at the end.  But I missed some very important details.

As you are disassembling pieces, place them in a fashion so that you can mentally put them back together.  If you lose a spring or a nut at this point you will be cursing everyone including me for not warning you.


Tools I found I needed:

• Blue Tack Tape or some similar masking tape.
• Gloves.  Typically Nitrile but "rubber" gloves will do nicely. 
• Tweezers to handle the balls for the bearing.  They tend to get away from you.
• Screen or something to line the bottom of the workplace.   
• A good ruler with visible markings for METRIC.  Sorry fellow yanks, this is a job for metric.  If the ruler has holes for measuring variously sized bearings so much the better.
• Workplace that will corral any loose parts.  Bucket or kitchen sink may help.
• Good cycling grease.  I used "common" White Lithium Grease.
• Gearset Socket.  Specialized socket to fit in the gearset to work on the rear wheel and bearings.  These will vary based on the manufacturer of your gearset.  Shimano is very common, and that is what worked for me.
• Set of Cup Wrenches.  Thin crescent wrench set may also work but doubtful. 
• Hammer or mallet to remove the gearset.
  
   

Measure EVERYTHING:

Seriously.  That good ruler I am mentioning.  If you get the retaining nuts out of their original position, your wheels will no longer be true from left to right.  That will mean your discs will rub against the brake shoes.  It will slow you down.  In my case it was 4mm from the outside of the axle to the first nut on the axle.

Bearings.

Inline Skate bearings are simple.  Snap the whole thing in and bolt it together and you are done.

Bicycle bearings may be that simple but many older bikes, and some current ones like mine from 2022 are using something called a "Cup and Ball Bearing".  This is old school.  I have seen some evidence that it is possible to convert these to a "normal" bearing like 608 or 6000.  

But.

These aren't as difficult as you expect if you are coming into the process as green as I was.  Since I started, I have replaced the bearings literally a dozen times.  Every time I would remove the part that holds the bearings into the cup, some or all would fall out.

You need grease in that cup.  I used the same White Lithium Grease that I used in my old Jalousie windows for years.  The stuff is waterproof.  You can use other grease that is "special for cycling" and pay more.  The jury is out as to whether I need to do that or I am using the right stuff.  The finished product rolls like a champ.  I did a marathon on them and I had the wheels improperly installed.  Results matter.


Bearing Sizing.

The bearings that go into the Cup and Ball bearings vary in size.  They are TYPICALLY 1/4 inch.  They can be more or less, but since they are decidedly cheap, I rolled the dice and got an assortment.  It turned out that front and rear wheels were both 1/4 inch.  Some bikes for other purposes are said to be larger or smaller.

For my bike, I needed 9 bearings of 1/4 inch per side of the wheel.  

I have a bag of 200 loose bearings coming in about a week.  It took me 3 years to need the first batch and they only cost me $7 for this.  I will be able to repeat this process about 6 times.  


How I installed the Bearings.

I cleaned and dried the kitchen sink and put a screen in the drain.  Since I knew that the bearings would roll under things, putting the wheel at eye level and giving the bearings a place to roll made sense.

Remove the wheel from the bike.  Remove the nut holding the skewer in place and slide it out but make sure you realize which side your bike had the skewer installed from.  The lock lever was on the left side of the wheel.  Same side as the disc for my brake - be careful you don't get that disc dirty, you will need alcohol or acetone to clean it properly and don't bang it around since it can't take the punishment of too many shocks.

Cup Wrench:

In the case of my wheels, I needed a specialized tool to remove the nut and cover to the chamber where the cup was.  This Cup Wrench was a 15 mm and strangely flat.  I am used to crescent wrenches being much thicker in home repair and automotive uses.  These are stamped steel.  A set cost me $7 online.

The cup wrench will hold the cup in place so you can use another 15 mm wrench (adjustable or crescent) to remove the nut that holds things in place on the outside of the wheel bolt assembly.  The video goes through this quickly but you will need these.  I have a lot of tools on hand and this stuff is "specialized".


Removing the outer nut, you should be able to remove the cup on one side of the wheel.   You will be removing the nut/shield from one side of the axle.  I recommend removing the one on the non-disc side first.  This way you can push the axle through.  At this point there is nothing holding the cover to the ball bearings in place at all.  Things will fall all over the place.  That is why I did the work over the sink.  The "other side" you will need to hold in place manually.  Blue Tack or some other tape may help you manage this since it is not a "normal" operation for "normal" people like you and I.

Slide the axle out of the wheel and set it aside.  As you remove parts from the wheel, it will be helpful to place the pieces in place on the axle so that the later  reassembly will be easier.

Grease the Cup and install the Balls:

To prepare to install the balls into the cup, insert or inject some of your chosen grease into the cup.  Don't get extra grease into the center hub of the wheel, but if some get in there it won't ruin the wheel.  I found that I could squirt the grease into the cup and used my gloved finger to smooth it into the cup evenly.

Now using tweezers or your fingers, place the balls in the cup.  One at a time, seat the ball into the grease.  The grease will tend to hold the balls in place but they will not put up with rough treatment and may go flying if you bang this all around.

Repeat this process for the opposite side of the wheel.  Gently because if you whack the wheel around your freshly assembled balls will be flying out of the cup.  The Grease will hold the balls in place but not very securely.  They May Fall Out!

Reassembly of the wheel:

Now that you have cursed me and everyone else for telling you that you know enough to try this process, you get to reverse your steps.  How I did it was to be very gently push the axle through the center of the cup and out the other side.  The Axle will be partially assembled with the cup nut/shield and most likely that one side's retaining nut are still in place.  Make sure that the alignment of the axle with the distance from the outside of the axle to the first nut have not changed.  Make sure that the cup nut is secure against that first nut and tighten with a crescent wrench and cup wrench where appropriate.  Everything is in close clearance so this is why having a specific cup wrench is important.

Sliding the axle in place, begin to fasten the opposite side's cup nut in place.  Stop when you get it snug against the balls in the cup, but not too snug.  The entire assembly must turn freely.  If you can't turn it freely by the lightest touch, it will make things difficult when you ride.  

However having it exposed and loose will cause its own problems.  Push up and down on the axle.  It should not rattle around in the hub.  If so, the cup nut needs to be tightened slowly until the up and down rattling is stopped.  

The goal is to get the wheel to spin on the axle, but not move laterally.  Another goal is to have the outermost nut in roughly the same position with respect to the end of the axle as it was before the process had begun.

I know, clear as mud.  You want your wheels spinning freely.

Slide the skewer in through the axle.  The locking lever should be on the same side as it was originally.  In my case, it was on the left side of the wheel.  Same side as the brake disc or opposite of the chain or the drive for the wheel.  Attach the spring small side to the center, then put the skewer nut on the outside of the skewer and tighten lightly. 

Remount the wheel and align so that it is not stopped by the brakes or is not crooked.  Begin to tighten the skewer and nut in place.  When finished, the wheel should not be loose on the fork on any side or both sides.  If it is loose you may injure yourself while riding.


Rear Wheel Special Instructions:

The gearset is in the way of your removing the rear axle.  You require a gearset socket to remove the gearset so you can get at all the parts like on the front whee.  The gearset socket fits in a crescent wrench, adjustable wrench, or a socket wrench.  The gearset is actually tightened as you ride so it is difficult to remove from the wheel.

Take the rear wheel to a place where you can work on it with force.  Not too much force, of course.  Insert the gearset socket in the gearset,  Using your wrench, set it up so that you can turn the wrench counter clockwise.  To the left.  Remember Righty Tighty, Lefty Loosey.   Attempt to turn counter clockwise.  Complain to yourself that you can't and it is too difficult and you want to give up.

At this point I placed the wheel in a fashion so that the wheel was upright, the wrench was in a way that if I pushed downwards, it would be turning counter clockwise - to the left.  

Using the hammer, I whacked the wrench gently but firmly.  It took about 10 times the first time to remove the gearset.  It never got loose enough on the wheel for me to NOT use the hammer.  But you aren't trying to destroy things, be careful if you miss the end of the wrench you could damage your wheel.  

A good torque wrench or breaker bar on the end of the socket wrench may help but it did not in my case.  I actually broke my breaker bar.  I was surprised.

The first time to remove the gearset took quite a few whacks from the hammer before it budged and it was still too tight for me to muscle the gearset loose.



Axle Considerations or If You Have a Broken Axle:

This happened to my rear wheel.  I actually snapped an axle.  They do break and they do bend.

The rear axle on my bike is 145mm.  It was broken in two pieces, sheared at the base of the gearset.  

I rolled the dice and guessed at the size thinking if it was shorter I could cut it or just let it hang.  It turned out that I was completely correct at the guess of 145mm.

In My Case.

However, the new axle came with hardware that was smaller than the original wheelset's hardware.  I did not realize that.  I had put it all together and got it to work but it wasn't right.  The bike did not perform correctly since I was using lock washers and extra nuts to put the wheel approximately in the correct place.

I needed to get the ruler out and make sure that I had that 4mm clearance from the last nut to the end of the axle.

Using the (weird) Cup Wrench, I was able to get all the old hardware off of the old axle, and put it on the new axle.  I made sure that the 4mm clearance was maintained.  Magically everything simply seated correctly without any extra hardware.

That ruler was a highly important tool.  Make sure you can read metric, Fellow Americans.  I had to double check myself to get it all right.


Conclusion:

The wheelset is done.

Oh you want more?  There is no lateral movement.  When I do the "power stroke" the rear wheel is not being thrown against the frame of the bike and making farting noises.  Both wheels now have new fresh grease and new fresh bearings.

Best part of this is that for about $30 of parts, I get about $350 worth of wheels, bearings, and most importantly Labor.

I learned a metric f-ton of things about this process.  In a couple years I will be able to do this again if I haven't worn this bike completely out and I have the parts to do it.

Next will be going after the pedals and the crankset since I have the bearings to do so.  Anything that turns a lot, needs new grease and new bearings.  

I have the parts.  Good luck!

After 8100 miles on my bike, I have worn the thing out. Information to rebuild the bearings.

Get a bike they said.

Ok, well I did.  I think "They" said for me to get a bike because they knew that I never do things half way.  

It's also possible after breaking my clavicles, both, and carrying titanium with me to my last breath, that "They" were trying to save my hide.

As best as I can figure, I have put 8100 miles on that bike.  Going around in big lazy circles.

I tell myself that I am an intermediate cyclist.  Elite inline skater, but intermediate cyclist.  My "Base Workout" is a marathon.  Literally I watch the cycle computer and make sure that it is at least 26.2 miles or 42 km per workout.  Humble Brag aside, it's just that I'm trying to keep myself fit.  

Resting heart rate in the low 50s, fit.

I have come to the conclusion that I have, indeed, worn out the bike.  I have video proof.

On the handlebars of the bike I have a mount for what I call a Trail Camera.  It is a little water proof box that records what is going on for later viewing.  It tends to do strange things to the sound like muffle the microphone and transmit road noises to the recordings.

That's the thing that clued me in.  I wanted to watch the video from the other day.  It had the Goodyear Blimp in a shot and I thought it might be amusing to see.  It wasn't all that exciting, I have seen the airship many times and it was only up in one corner of the video.  Not worth sharing.

But as I was riding I noticed that there were some strange noises.  The sides of the tires were rubbing against the frame of the bicycle.  Why would that happen?  If you are "under power" and your back wheel was rubbing during acceleration it means the wheel is being moved to the left.  Chain drive on the right.  How does that happen?  The bearings in the rear wheel were worn.

I got up and pushed the wheel to the left and was able to get it to go all the way to the frame.

Not. Good. At. All.

Listening further to the video I heard the bearings.  Literally heard the bearings.  From what I can tell both wheels and the crankshaft need new bearings.  Crankshaft is where you have the pedals.

I'm a big guy, powerful on the bike.  I average 14 MPH plus for the first hour.  I have ridden the mountain bike faster than 22 MPH up hill.  I know many people have ridden faster, this is my statistic.  I ride as an endurance sport.  Get out and listen to a 2 hour DJ set and still have to find more music on the phone.

That sort of thing.

I started reviewing videos online for how to solve this thing.  I came to the conclusion that I could do the repair, or I could take it to the shop.  Taking it to the shop is about as much as I could find a middle of the road mountain bike - about $300 to $350.  New wheelset, new bearings, brake discs, crankshaft bearings, labor, diagnosis charge, new chain...

Or I could buy the parts online.  I did that.  I enjoy repairing mechanical things.  I drive a 24 year old Jeep Wrangler so I could do that.  

The parts have cost me about $30.  I could have tossed cash at a friend who has Amazon Prime and have the parts here "yesterday", but that is not my style.  It wasn't an emergency.

The parts are on the slow boat from China.  I know that they have been accepted through  customs and are on their way here.  I purposely bought too many bearings so as to make absolutely certain I could fix and or upgrade the bike.

Loose bearings for the Cup and Ball bearings.  Caged Ball Bearings for a second "drop in" try at the wheels.  6000 type bearings if none of that worked.  

I am loaded for bear.

When everything gets here, I will see how far I can go.  I will need a specialized tool to remove the gear set on the back wheel.  I did lean on someone to get them here faster.  He has Prime.  It will be here today or tomorrow.

Replace everything else and see where I am.

Once this is all said and done, I will basically have a new bike.  This one fits me.  I've used it for 4 years and it is comfortable now that I have set everything to my liking.

Going around in those circles, I have noticed that my speed has dropped on that same first hour to 12.5 MPH from my 14 to 14.5 MPH.  That is the bearings being worn out.  At least that is what I tell myself.  

In the meanwhile, I have to watch these shipping sites.  Shopper's OCD.  Wait an hour and refresh the browser.  

All my parts are in Miami now and out for delivery.

I could spend the ridiculous charge per year for Amazon Prime, as well as buy the parts there but Amazon is a middleman.  I can't really afford having middlemen putting their hand in my pockets looking for loose change.  

So, I will wait.  Amazon makes me uncomfortable anyway and if you can find the vendor outside of that site, you may be able to find them cheaper.

In the interim, I'm going to do some more research.  The loose bearings for the Cup and Ball bearings are sized differently for the rear wheel than the front.  I just want to confirm what they are.

• 3.969 mm (5/32″) – steerer (fork) bearings and many pedals.
• 4.762 mm (3/16″) – front wheel hubs (2 times 10 balls – i.e. 10 balls at each side most often – this includes all the Shimano dynamo hubs, except models DH-UR705, and DH-UR700).
• 6.35 mm (1/4″) – rear wheel hubs (usually 2 times 9 balls) and cup and cone bottom brackets (2 times 11).
• 5.556 mm (7/32″) Campagnolo Record front hubs and some exotic hubs of other manufacturers (2 times 9 balls).
• 2.381 mm (3/32″) – most Shimano pedals bearing balls.

Info courtesy of https://bike.bikegremlin.com/2255/standard-bicycle-bearing-ball-sizes/


According to a different page on that site, they say old school white lithium grease is good for lubing up the new bearings.  I am fairly certain I have all of that, lube and ball bearings.  I did over-buy.  On top of it all I did get a few things for the house and someone's birthday.  I needed to make the minimum purchase.

So "F5" the browser and it will probable get here when I drop off mid afternoon after the Carbo Crash.  I will allow that since I am up at 5AM and the dog will let me know when they are on the property.

Won't you Rack?  Good Boy, now stop barking!  I know.  They're here and bringing me stuff.  And a New Duck for the Jeep too!

Jeep TJ Horn Repair - For when the horn sounds on its own or the button is "soft"

Ok! Let me get the warning out of the way:

Standard Internet Warranty Applies - you follow my instructions at your own risk.  Ramblingmoose will not be responsible with any damage you do to your car, your self, or anything else.  If you do not feel comfortable with these instructions, or your capacity to follow them, don't do them. 

OK?

This is written as instruction to my future self because I don't see myself getting rid of the car any time soon and I expect to have to do this again.

I gathered my own process by reading forums and looking at pictures and drawing conclusions.  I will say that there are rarely one set of instructions with repairing my own 23 year old Jeep.  I love the car but little issues are getting tiresome to track down and new parts are getting more scarce.

This is a "hack".  I fixed my horn by flipping the horn button actuator pad and replaced it within my horn button assembly.  I do not expect this to be "permanent" but I do expect it to give me some time. Many parts for the car are "Unobtanium" and you simply can't find "new" any longer.  Dorman makes a lot of fine reproductions of parts, and may be a good source but not for this repair.

The horn button actuator pad is two sheets of metallic material on the back of some sort of plastic.  When you flex them, they make contact and can be tested with a continuity tester. 

Other people's repairs were successful by cutting the sheets apart and putting a bead of silicon around the edges to hold them apart as they were put back into a parallel sheet.  Fortunately I did not have to re-manufacture the actuator (yet) by going that far and if I do, I will document that process later.

To complete this you will need multiple tools. 

8MM Socket.
10MM Socket.
11MM Socket.
Socket wrench driver.
Leatherman style multi-tool, although I only used the knife blade.


1:  Disconnect the battery from the car.  Really.  No.  Do this first.  Don't take a chance.  Let the battery be disconnected for at least 5 minutes before proceeding.  I used an 11MM socket to loosen the terminal, but your size may be different.  This is why I listed three socket sizes above.

2: Remove the horn button cover in the middle of your steering wheel.  There are two bolts holding the cover down.  They are 8MM and readily accessible from behind the sides of your wheel.  Remove the bolts and set them aside.  The entire horn button assembly with the air bag will easily come loose.

3: Disconnect the wires from the horn button assembly and the air bag.  If you did not disconnect the battery, this is why.  Your Air Bag will be very difficult to replace if it blows up in your face.  So will your nose.  DO NOT CUT ANY WIRES.  The air bag is connected by a tan connector that easily snaps off the back of the air bag.  The red positive wire has a spade connector that is covered by a plastic or vinyl sleeve.  Slide the sleeve back and separate the wires at the connector.  Your horn button assembly will now be free for you to take into your work area.

4: Remove the Air Bag from the mounts on the back of the horn button assembly.

• DO NOT CUT ANY WIRES.
• Remove the plastic clip that retains the wire in place.
• The Air Bag is held in place with four 10MM(?) nuts. 
• Save and set them aside. 
• There are two metal mounts that hold the air bag in place.
• Remove the mounts from their slots and set them aside.
• Free (to lift from the mount screw) the ground wire from the back of the air bag mounting plate.
• Bend or flex the vinyl so that you can free the air bag from the horn button assembly.
• Set the Air Bag aside.
  
  
  

5: Free the horn button actuator pad from the plastic shield on the inside of the horn button assembly. 

• The horn button actuator in my TJ is about the same proportions as those in the/some XJ Cherokee. 
• The round version of the horn button actuator is for those cars that have cruise control or automatic transmission.  Or are just older and "different". 
• Your mileage may vary. 
• I had to use my Leatherman's Tool knife blade to trim the rectangular posts to create room to work on the "top" side of the assembly. 
• There was a clear bit of plastic that was welded at the factory under the posts that I had to cut on the top row. 
• This created enough room to work to gently slide the horn button actuator pad out.
• Before reassembling the pad into the assembly, I strongly suggest testing your continuity on the pad with a tester.  This is just enough work to be annoying to have to repeat.
  

6: Flip your horn button actuator pad and reinsert it under the clear plastic window.  In my case, this was enough to get everything working again (for now).  Push the rectangular posts back through the holes in the plastic sheeting to hold everything in place.

7: Replace the Air Bag assembly within the horn button assembly and reverse the steps so that the assembly is SECURELY snapped into the vinyl assembly and then bolted back in place.  Your wires will be reversed for the horn button actuator pad but there will be enough wire for connections to be restored.

8: Reconnect the Air Bag connector on the back of the assembly, and the red wire for the horn button.

9: Place and Bolt in place the horn button assembly with air bag back in the steering wheel. 

10:  Reconnect the battery to the car.  Test the horn.  The hack should have worked and you should have a horn that works now.

11: Resetting the dash gauges.  After reconnecting the battery, my Tachometer was not working.  Closer inspection showed that the needle had dropped below the pin at the Zero RPM point.  To reset the tach, follow these steps.

• Get in the driver's seat and place the key in the ignition.
• Press and hold the trip set reset button.
• Turn the ignition key to accessory.
• The lights will cycle on one after another, and all of the gauges will activate.
• If this does not get your tach to be functional, the following Percussive Maintenance might be needed:  Whack the side of the instrument cluster with the heel of your hand while the tach is cycling.

Seriously, I had to do this and my tach is now working.  This link will show you the process, but not how I managed to hold the button while whacking the cluster.  This was done on the upper left corner of the cluster while the Tach was vibrating during the self-reset.

This is a link to the process that I derived my own process from.  You will notice that the steps are similar.  It is here in case my own steps are not helpful.

I haven't bought a new cell phone since day one, but a New To Me phone needs a parallel test.

I'm fine with having somewhat old, or at least "older" electronics.

My long time friends might be surprised about that.  At one point I had to have the newest items.

I came to the realization that these things are tools.  I simply need them to "just work".

I am fortunate that I have a ready supply of these "older" electronics come through my sticky little fingers.

I am using 5 year old laptops running Debian Linux and they just work.  As in Super Fast.

I giggle at the people standing in a line at the gadget stores before dawn.  Sure, that's a bit rude but... come on.  It is manufactured demand.  Perhaps "manufacturing demand" might be the point.

I am using a phone that is 4 versions old right now.  I hate the thing because the Apple Walled Garden concept is faulty.  At least it is faulty to me.

I resent being told that I must back my phone up, and pay them for the privilege because they are giving me a "generous" 5GB of space, while the phone has 128GB on it.  Let me back the damn thing up to my own computers, or somewhere else, and step the hell off.

Every time I try to get something off the phone, I have to start a third party program to get my photos off the thing.  It is a computer.  If I plug it into another computer, it should come up reliably as a drive.  It does not every time, and it gets confused.

Anti-Apple rant aside, the newer versions are evolutionary and not revolutionary.

Slightly better camera, slightly better speakers, slightly more spyware I assume. 

I don't trust them.

More important I use the thing for a few very important, to me, items.

Photography.  Most of the pictures on this blog are taken by me, for my own entertainment.  Occasionally I'll grab something from elsewhere.  I try to remember to attribute the original person but I do forget.  Those pictures get big fast.  I have to get the third party software started, bring them into a browser, cut, paste, annotate them with a title and my URL and post them.  The camera does get better, but it tends to be a few steps behind the state of the art for the time the phone was put out.

Athletics.  Once upon a time, I was "Picked Last" for sports.  I was kid who had no clue about "ball sports".  I still am not good at those.  Doesn't matter, I had a resting heart rate of 50 yesterday and I regularly bicycle and inline skate at a heart rate above my theoretical maximum for my age.  My personal motto is "Lead, Follow, or Get Out Of The Way".  I will help you along, and give you information on nutrition and training to get to my level.  For my age bracket, I am in the 99% percentile for inline skating - my goal is 25,000 miles in my career and at 24645 miles, I am very close.  Once around the world on Inline Skates.

So I monitor my heart rate, distance, and speed.  Assertively.  The phone does help.  In order for it to help I measure out the trail on the phone via GPS.  It tells me the trail is 4.5 miles.  I verify that aggressively via mapping software and obsessively measure that out.

Entertainment.  Music.  I have a data plan that lets me listen to international music for unlimited time.  I am also using it to watch video internationally in two languages.  News as well.  I see nothing wrong with walking the dog an hour and a half before dawn listening to the CBC for news bulletins and switching to BBC for in depth coverage.

When I was given a New To Me phone, it was because my old one had a battery in it that was wearing out.  I could have had the battery replaced, but the New To Me phone had a brand spanking new battery with "96% health".  More importantly it is slightly larger and a number of generations newer.  Faster processor, although frankly, I did not notice that.  Once upon a time I had an android phone that I could snap the battery in and out, and repaired the daylights out of it.  Tech is not getting better, it's getting more annoying to maintain.

I am in the process of migrating onto that phone.  It means I have to proofread the thing and make sure that everything I depend on works.

I listened to my preferred music which is surprisingly diverse.  Classical, Classic Disco, Happy Hardcore, and EDM as well as Norteño from Mexico, and news outlets in 5 different countries.  I could do that from my chair, and did.

Then I had to workout "in parallel".  I had once been given a New To Me phone that had a bad GPS.  It told me that the 2 mile walk I had with the dog was actually 1.9 miles, roughly.  I knew better.  But I also knew that phone was damaged. 

Tuesday I had a workout on the bike.  Along with the GPS enabled sport watch, the GPS enabled bike computer, and the GPS enabled phone, I had the second phone with me telling me where I was in a woman's voice to let me know it wasn't the main phone which was in a man's voice.

The differences were .01 mile over a basis of 27.18 miles.  52 feet or less than the distance across the front of the house, and I can live with that.

Good workout Tuesday as well, but I won't strain my shoulder patting myself on the back.

So the New To Me phone seems to pass the athletics test.  The only thing I need to do is try a different sport and see how the walk is with Mr Dog. 

Some folks are less demanding, they just slide it out of the box, charge it up, and shrug because it works.  Me... nothing is simple.

Mind you, yesterday?  I was taking my old daily driver laptop with a bad USB C power port apart.  I used the monitor to repair a laptop that was dropped and shattered the screen, the hard drive was swapped, and it was tested to be completely functional. 

Yes, Ramblingmoose runs on old stuff. 

Now! Let me tell you about my 23 year old car!

Non-Toxic Weed Killer Recipe

This is real simple.  Three ingredients.

And, yes, I am repeating this here because while I try VERY hard not to repeat topics, I could not find this one when I went looking for it.  The blog has been here since 2009 so it is a lot to slog through.

I'll keep the story short.  Mix this stuff up and spray it on your weeds, they go away.  It is not persistent so do it in the morning of a dry day.  It works best in the sun.  It may not kill everything but it also won't kill people or animals. 

It just annoys them.

Because of the Vinegar, the side effect is your weeds smell like a salad.

Slightly longer story - I let the weeds get a little out of control.  They began to overtake the swale (parking space) and the little square in front of my house.  The little square is now empty of weeds, the parking space is noticeably less weedy.

Before and after pics are here as well as the entire recipe.

Ingredients  (First picture is scaled to half gallon size for convenience):

• 1 Gallon White Vinegar (the cheap stuff)
• 2 Cups Epson Salt
• 1/4 Cup Blue Dawn Dish Soap (The Original Blue)

 

Process: 

• Mix ingredients up, I use the bottle of the sprayer to mix them thoroughly.
• Spray on to unwanted plants.
• Watch the Carnage.

To Install a BestTop Roof on a 2002 Jeep Wrangler TJ, Get a Heat Gun, Dremel, and Spudgers. Really!

Yes, this is a story 28 years in the making.

Let me just start out by saying that had I had it to do all over I would absolutely get another BestTop roof for my Jeep Wrangler.

This is not a slam against their products.  Actually the word on the street (No, I have no proof) was that Chrysler was getting the roofs for the Jeep Wrangler TJ during their entire run from 1996 to 2006  from BestTop.

Now a couple strange things happened with me.

My previous Wrangler, a 1997, got broken into in Philadelphia in front of my house.  I told my insurance, and they shipped me a new roof.  This was roughly 1998.  I was able to get the old roof professionally repaired and I kept the new roof in my basement.

Eventually I sold the Wrangler when I got my current TJ, a 2002 Jeep Wrangler.  I kept that roof in the basement.  The new TJ had a stick shift and I vastly prefer a stick to an automatic.  It's more engaging to drive.

But that roof rode with me to Florida.  Here,it went into my shed.

So the other day, September 30, 2024.  I was in Boca Raton, FL.  It was a stunning day.  82F, light winds, sunny.  Previously, a hurricane (Milton) had come through and we had a week of rains, some of which were heavy.

I had a Doctor's Appointment where I was yelled at for not following instructions.  Don't Lift Anything More Than A Cellphone.  *grumble*. 

So of course I went out into the parking lot and started opening the windows on the Jeep.  The seams catastrophically failed.  I packed things up as best as I could and drove home with what was left of the roof down.

Getting the new roof put on the car would be easy, right?

No.  Don't even.  You have a 26 year old product sitting coiled up in a box that had been sitting in your shed and the basement before that.  It even still smelled like the basement in Philadelphia that it lived in for 3 or 4 years.

So I got the box out and found the instructions.  The thing that caught me was where they tell you to use a razor or knife to rip the seams out of the door window skins.  The new skins would go in place with Velcro fasteners.

I put the entire roof on the car save those window skins and left the old ones in place.  Having broken bones healing will slow you down and the car was technically in one piece.

I took a day off to recover, per Doctor's Orders, and came to it the next day.

Utility Knife in hand, I sliced the driver's door skin off the metal frame that holds it in place.  The skin had to be stretched to remove it from the frame.

This is a 23 year old car.  The idea that the vinyl door skin had that much tension left scared me.

I began the process of stretching the new skin in place.

The new door skins were a finger's length short from top to bottom and side to side.

Three inches.  8cm or so.  Short.

Are. You. Kidding. Me?

I thought to myself get the heat gun and start to loosen up the vinyl to allow it to stretch over the frame.

Two hours later it was in place. 

Two HOURS for the one piece.

The problem was that the frame had a bit at the leading edge that would not seat inside the door skin that was open like a pair of scissors in a V Shape.  I eventually got it over that bit but was not happy with the way it fit.

I also had another skin to put on the car on the passenger side.  That would wait for another day.

That other day came and I started.  An hour after following the instructions to start at the rear lower corner and work counter clockwise stretching the vinyl into place, I got out the power tools.

First the Heat Gun.  That made the vinyl stretch more and almost allowed me to put it in place.  The skin hooked itself on that leading corner and refused to let it go.  It got there almost immediately but after an hour of heat and stretching, I was cursing and frustrated.

Second the Dremel with the cutting wheel.  I got it out and cut the ends of the points down so that there was nowhere for the window skin to hook onto.  Then I sanded the metal down for this purpose.  I even painted it black to match the rest. 

Eventually after another hour, the next problem started.

Third it bent my spudger.  Sure that sounds like something a kid would say but lets deconstruct that.  I got the skin to stretch so that it was almost in place.  Almost as in the Vinyl had only tore a little bit.  The spudger is a metal tool that you use in installing a bicycle tire to a wheel.  I have some in plastic and they were too fragile for the task.  The one just bent as I was holding the vinyl skin over the frame for the door.  Eventually I was able to use a second spudger to help stretch the skin over the frame with a lot of Bad Words said.

That blasted passenger window skin took two solid hours to install even after trimming the frame.

So the list of materials needed to install a "no problem" Jeep Wrangler TJ window skin were Knife, Two Spudgers, Heat Gun, and Dremel drill with Cutting Wheel.

Do not do this process if you are easily frustrated.  The entire roof took 8 hours to install including allowing the plastic to relax in the sun, and threading it over frames.

I never would have thought that I would need a heat gun to install a window skin made out of vinyl that smells of a new beach ball (and my Philadelphia Basement) not to mention a Dremel and two Spudgers, but it did.

(Spudgers?  I told you not to mention those!)

I did look it up by the way, a replacement BestTop roof covers the years from 1997-2006 for the Jeep Wrangler TJ.

Or so the website said.  I don't remember which website, of course.

The instructions also say do not attempt this if the Jeep and roof are below 72F (21C).  The entire time I am cursing the process, I was thinking that if I had a walk in freezer or meat locker and tried this there because of the colder temperatures, the window would be able to stretched into shape with a heat gun and the metal frame would have shrunk due to the temps.

Yes, I had a LOT of time to think this through.  8 Hours from what I can tell.

Of course the standard internet warranty applies - do not attempt if you are unsure of your abilities, your tools, or your conditions.  Ramblingmoose.com takes no responsibility for your inability to finish the process or any damage to your Jeep.

Sorry folks, had to say that!

Replacing the iPod Video Battery

First of all, if you are still using one of these things and are not using Rockbox, look into it.  It turns your iPod from an annoying exercise of futility to an external hard drive that happens to play media like your MP3.

Second, this is the second time I did this.  It works.  But, I have to give you the official Internet Warranty:

Ramblingmoose.com does not warrant any missteps or broken hardware.  You do this procedure at your own risk.  If you are unsure of your own capability of this repair, don't do it.  It really is a simple repair but it is possible to do wrong.

Step 1:  Get the battery from online.  (Package is unopened in the left of the picture above)  This is the second time I did this with a 650mAh battery and it is now a 18 year old device.

Step 2: Tools needed are a Spudger.  Basically it's a guitar pick that will allow you to pull the back off your iPod.  These are scattered all over the picture above.

Step 3: Use the Spudger to pry the back off the iPod.  The long side where the headphone jack is connected is where I was able to break the seal and get the back off.  I used light pressure and twisted the Spudger back and forth until the steel back comes loose. 

However... the first time I did this years ago, I used the Spudger on the bottom as there is a plastic support piece that will hold the back to the iPod.  Be Flexible as to where you are working on the iPod.

Step 4: Warning: there are fragile wires and ribbon cables connecting the battery and the headphone jack and both are glued to back of the iPod.

Step 5: At the bottom of the ipod, and on the opposite corner of the earplug connector is the battery connector.  This is at the lower left of the picture.  The wire is routed to the board via a connector that has a lock on it.  The lock needs to be released toward the bottom of the unit.  It can be clicked down with the Spudger.  Once released, you can gently flick the wire out of the connector.

Step 6: The battery itself can be removed at this point.   It is held in place with some double sided tape.  Lift it out of place. 

Step 7: Remove the cover on the double sided tape from bottom of the new battery, if tape exists.  Set the battery in place so that the wire is free. Attach the wire into the connector and flip the lock in place to hold the wire in place. The wires have metal colored connectors on one side.  Those are to be inserted in to the connector and locked in place with those connectors pointing toward the hard drive.

Step 8: Place the steel back in place and close up your iPod.  You are done.  Charge the battery before use, it took me 3 hours to get a full charge.  Rockbox reports that I have 12 hours of play time on the iPod after a charge.

Silencing your bike's disc brake in about 15 minutes. Basic Bicycle Maintenance.

Yes, I am wordy.  This needs either a video which there are plenty of them on youtube, or a lot of words.  I do words...

The time to do this is after you got caught out in the rain, or you are trucking your bike out to where you want to ride.  The bike now sounds like a screaming baby or a goat or some other animal.  Time to fix that!

If you followed the post on how to lube the wheel hubs on your bike, you probably have done exactly what I did.  Basically, I have a heavy hand when it comes to oiling things, so as you rode, your oil spun out of the hub and got on the brake disc.  Now your brake pads are "contaminated" with oil and stopping is more a matter of just how much grip strength you have in your hands rather than in the braking system on your bike.

Old school caliper brakes would most likely not be effected.

The overview is simple, braking surfaces have to be clean and free of grease, grit, and oils.  If there is oil, you slide.  That's why we use the stuff. 

To clean your braking system, there are steps and you can do it in your own home.  It takes me about 15 minutes once I have everything assembled.

Remember that anything you remove from the bike will be put back on the bike or you will need new replacements for future use.  Since most of these items are specialized, make sure they don't roll "under the couch" and are guarded for later.

First, get your equipment.

• Rubbing Alcohol or Acetone (Remember perform this with adequate ventilation!)
  
• Paper towels
• Pliers
• Optional light strength thread locker (Permatex Blue)
  
• Sand Paper (I used 100 grit or "Medium" but a 200 or 320 grit might be better)
  
• Sanding block or flat work surface to sand on
• Towels or Cardboard sheet to protect the floors
• 5mm Allen Wrench
  

Second, Lay the bike on its side on the floor.  Brake Disc side (left side) up.  You can do this on a bike stand if you have one, but I have found that it is just easier to do this with the bike on its side so the brake mechanism can rest on the spokes while you work instead of it dangling in the air.

Third, Locate the two Allen bolts that hold the brake mechanism to the frame/fork of the bike.  Use the 5mm Allen Wrench to remove the bolts from the bike and set them aside.  When removed, your brake mechanism should gently pull from the mount and the bike.  Note: if you are experienced at performing this work, and you have clearance on your bike, you may be able to get away with not removing the brake caliper from the bike.  I can't, you might.  Consider your situation first.

Fourth, using your Pliers, Bend back the end of the cotter pin so that it is straight.  If you

shear that end of the pin, you will need to make a trip to the hardware store to buy another one so be aware that it is possible to snap off the end, and that would be bad, mmmkay?  It will push back out of the mechanism, easily.  Set your pin aside with the bolts that held the mechanism to the bike.

Fifth, remove the brake shoes and the spring that holds them together and in place.  My own mechanism slid out of the brake mechanism easily.  Set the mechanism down so that it does not get damaged.

Sixth, using your Rubbing Alcohol or Acetone, clean the brake disc and the brake pads.  The disc and the brake pads must be free of oil and dirt when you complete these steps, and that includes the oil and dirt on your fingers. 

Seventh, cleaning the pads will leave some Rubbing Alcohol or Acetone on them.  This

will soften the old pads and the dirt.  Using the sandpaper and sanding block or flat work surface, sand the dirt and grime from the old pads.  I used 50 strokes per pad.  Clean both pads with Rubbing Alcohol or Acetone to remove the remaining dirt and create a smooth braking surface.

Reassembly:

First, clean everything again.  Brake ring should be shiny and clean.  Brake pads should be clear of dust, grease, and grit.  No grit on anything, you will pick enough of that up on your nest workout, I am sure

Second, Make a Brake Pad Sandwich.  Best way to describe it.  Without touching the actual pads, the brakes are assembled to be put in the brake mechanism.  Pad, Spring, Pad.  Squeeze them together gently but firmly so the sandwich can be inserted into the mechanism.

Third, insert the Brake Pad Sandwich into the Brake Mechanism.  The holes in the two pads and spring must line up.  They are to be inserted into the mechanism with the holes lining up with those in the mechanism where you removed your cotter pin.

Fourth, Lock everything in place with the cotter pin.  The cotter pin should be lined up with the loop on the wheel spoke side of the brake mechanism.  Slide it in to the hole so that it extends out on the outside of the brake mechanism.  Everything must fit in easily, it will not take a lot of force.  Bend the end of the cotter pin in place.  The cotter pin will be mobile and able to turn.

Fifth, mount the brake mechanism back onto the wheel over the brake disc.  I do this by putting it on top of the mount and inserting the Allen Bolt into the screw holes then finger tightening the Bolts down.

Sixth, you are effectively done at this point but you do need to align your brakes.  Find the sight corridor within the brake mechanism.  The disc should be as close to evenly placed within that gap as possible.  When you spin that wheel, make sure that the brake does not engage at any point within the travel of the wheel.  If you are at that point, then you will tighten the Allen Bolts down using the 5mm Allen Wrench.  Test the wheel again to make certain you are not rubbing.

Finally, when you are out and riding your bike, you should break in or "bed" the brakes by GENTLY applying then releasing them.  Enough to stop your travel from about 6-12 MPH (10-20KPH) gently but firmly.  Everything should work "as it should".  If you are rubbing, then align the wheel to fit the brakes and repeat the alignment procedure as needed.

If that Goat has not been banished to the barnyard, or it's still squealing like Screaming Baby Airlines, repeat the process.

Remember, any noise and you're losing speed.  Take the time to align the wheels within the brakes so they may spin as freely as possible.

Yeah, it's a lot of words.  Get to work, it's not as hard as all this text.  I'll shaddap!

Allen 304ST Bike Rack - Replacing the worn out fabric straps

Yes, you can do it at home.  I did two of these straps in under a half hour while the world was going crazy here around my ears.

Standard internet warranty applies - www.Ramblingmoose.com is not responsible for any damage or injury created by your following these instructions.  I am doing my best to give as complete instructions as possible, but if I did you wouldn't read them anyway.  Read them twice before you do this.  Go have a cup of coffee or tea, then be careful, don't burn yourself with Fire, Beavis.  I'm not responsible.  I run with scissors.  In fact I skate with scissors.  This is AYOR, at your own risk.

On the other hand, comedy aside, this really is pretty easy and safe if you can use basic hand tools.  I've been using the rack with my bike multiple times  a week on the repaired Bike Mounts on a 17 mile round trip drive.

There is a list of things you need:

1.) - 1 inch wide Fabric (nylon?) Lashing Straps.  I got mine online, they are very common.  You probably have a place in mind, and that's probably where I got mine.  Named for a big river in Brazil... Get more than you need so you can make mistakes.  The ones I ordered were 4 units of 10 feet long by 1 inch wide black straps.  I figured once I finish cutting 6 straps of 18 inches long, heat treating the ends, and installing them I could use the rest to make the long straps that hold the rack to the tire.

2). - Scissors - to cut the Lashing Straps to 16 inch or longer strips

3). - Lighter - to "finish" the ends of the straps so they don't fray.

4). - Ruler - to measure out 16 inch plus lengths of Lashing Straps.

5). 3/16 inch Allen Wrench, Size is not guaranteed!  My own set of hex wrenches had a guide on the side of the set implying that there were 9 wrenches in the set - and there were only 8.  To loosen the screws in the ends of the caps so that you can get at the mounts to install the Lashing Straps.

6). - Staple Gun - The lashing straps are actually stapled to the vinyl mounts on the place where you hang your bike.  You can reuse the staples you have but that will take a LOT longer - trust me, I did that for the first three and the last three were done in the time it took for me to locate something to punch a hole in the strap in the precise location and ... just get a staple gun okay?


Process is fairly simple:

1. Remove the rack from the car and bring it where you will work with it.
2. Cut up to six straps from your supply.  Each should be a minimum of 16 inches (40cm). I left one end "square" and put an angle on the other end for the outside.  It is not required, you can even put that handy angle on after you have installed the straps.
3. Finish the ends with a lighter to make sure they won't fray in the weather and by use.  See, I promised you Fire, Beavis.
   
4. Using the (approximately) 3/16 inch Allen Wrench, remove the retaining screw from the end caps on the rack. 
5. Slide out the black tubes and bike mounts from one side of the rack.  Only do one side because you don't want to confuse yourself as to how they go back.  That would be like baking a cake from a mix and throwing out the box only to have to go back to the trash can to remember that most cakes bake at 350F/175C/Medium Oven... oh just never mind.
6. Un-thread the existing old strap from the first bike mount retaining the plastic latch.
7. When you get to the point where you have the strap held on by the staple, take note of where it is stapled.  You will be stapling your new strap in the same way.
   
   
   
   
   
8. Beginning to assemble the new strap, you insert about 1 1/2 inch (a bit longer than your thumb from tip to first joint) into the hole of the bike mount toward the end where the old strap was stapled.
9. Staple your strap approximately in the same place as the old one was fastened.
10. Thread the new strap up through the bottom hole of the bike mount.
11. Slide the plastic anchor clip onto the end of the strap while making certain that the indentation for the clip is facing the inside of the bike mount.
12. Thread the strap back into the second hole of the anchor clip.
13. Now that the strap is facing to the spot where the staple is anchoring the strap, thread the end through the hole where the tube goes to the opposite side of the bike mount.
14. Thread the strap through the hole on the non-stapled side. 
15. At this point the Bike mount is threaded and can be mounted on the tube where it came from.
16. Repeat this weave for any other Bike Mounts that you feel need to be re-strapped.
    
    
    
    The instructions I am giving for weaving the strap may be a little vague to someone who is not actively doing it with a bike mount in front of them.  After you do one, you'll know, but do reference your existing bike mounts while doing this if you can't wrap your mind around what you're going to do.
    
    You've got this.  I believe in you.