[Closed] How bad are you at bike maintenance/mechanics?

My wife had a good laugh at me a couple of nights ago as I unlaced and relaced my wheel for the third time. Complete with playing the 'nipple retrieval rattle game'* every couple of minutes.

I am spectacularly hamfisted.

*not a euphemism.

Ive built my own bikes since i was a pauper kid raiding skips and council tips for parts, so im fairly acomplished id say, apart from wheel builds and truing, thats a black art to me

I am weird, happily build whole bike, strip down forks, bleed brakes, even build wheels, but still so bad at setting up the gears, never seem to get it just right...

As a hijack, anyone advise a specific book/website/ vid that would make it clear to a luddite?

Park tools website, Scud

http://www.parktool.com/blog/repair-help/rear-derailleur-adjustment#article-section-4

Only thing i can't do is rebuild shimano freehubs or STis (haven't got the patience) and suspension (haven't got the tools/time)

I must admit everything is usually harder than i imagine. Did a Boxxer charger upgrade recently , took four hours and two calls to my bike mechanic friend. Bearing changes I almost always mess up , steerer cut is not exactly straight as a dime etc etc . I will however blame my lack of tools 🙂

I'm legend at bike maintenance as opposed to matey who is a premier league [url= http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=cockrotter ]cockrotter[/url]

I can work to a workshop standard.....
I ran pads to the metal in a race so I just didn't use that brake, though I'd done a bearing I didn't have the tools for so I out off looking - turned out to be a shock bushing
Etc etc etc

I'm excellent (with the baseline set at 'my standards'). I'm allergic to giving other people my money for something I can/could do myself. The only thing I won't do is CCDB shocks, but that's what warranties are for.

For reference, I did a turbo engine swap on a Rover Coupe in a weekend on my own, so bikes can't be that hard. Can they?

I can do pretty much anything... finding the time to do it is the problem mind... and when I do get spare time I want to be riding my bike, not fixing/maintaining it. LBS comes into its own for this, it's the best thing they offer... time.

I use (or try to use) Parktools website and "Bike Maintenance: Tips, tricks and techniques"

Cockrotter - like it! Not that bad fortunately!!

Looks like I am the worst so far!!

Send Rear shocks and forks for bushing replacement, only due to the tools for each being costly and would rarely use them.
Use a local wheelbuilder for wheelbuilds, have built my own in the past with no issues.

Everything else is done at home with specific tools bought as needed (headset/bb press, frame bearing tools, seal drivers, etc).

Local bike shops are hit and miss when it comes to quality and turnaround time.

apart from wheel builds and truing, thats a black art to me

Yeah this.

I've "built" a wheel, just to see if i could get the hang of lacing it etc (i wouldn't ride it though) not sure I'd bother investing in a trueing stand

Pretty good at everything else, mainly because I actually enjoy doing it

i do all my own barring frame/fork building - ive done minor frame repairs but nothing major. Putting in riv nuts , brazing on bosses for racks and EBB bolts and fitting rear disk mounts ....

frame building is something im keen to try but have trust issues with my self trusting a frame i built.... im a serial frame destroyer 😀

Fairly good at everything mechanical tbh, pick up tools along the way so I've always avoiding bleeding brakes but two shops in Whistler recently messed up my rear hope so I went out and bought fluids etc and did it myself with much more success. Have built wheels before and ridden them for years but dont have the time or equipment now so I have a go to shop for wheel builds. For proper suspension servicing I also send them off to tftuned and the like but everything else I do myself unless for some reason I cant figure it out.

I do get annoyed with other people on rides having mechanical's when its purely down to lack of taking any notice and making an effort. Went for a ride a bit back with another lass and she fell off quite quickly into the ride, so I helped her up and her bike was falling to bits, headset was literally knocking its legs off so I sent her back to the car and home for the day.

I must admit everything is usually harder than i imagine.

That's not what she said. 😐

I'm excellent

That's not what she said 😐

I can work to a workshop standard.....

I prefer to take my time and do a thorough job 🙂

Most things are pretty easy if you come from a mechanic background - motorbikes and cars are MUCH harder!

But, regarding what the OP said; I don't replace pads till I hear a scrape (but I do CARRY spares), suspension will get serviced if I notice a problem - we have 15 y/o Marzocchi Bombers at home that have never been rebuilt and work great. The front shifter? No excuse there!

motorbikes and cars are MUCH harder!

Not really. Its just a process with more parts and a bigger price for error.
- speaking as someone whos also built a car

If i could only work to a workshop standard i'd be stuffed. Most workshops are about doing good enough to get it going as quickly as possible.

No excuses - lost my shock pump and was just a bit lazy there. Shifter? Just embarrassing!! 😳

Bike feels totally different now! Brakes bit much much earlier and front suspension now has an extra 20psi !!

Platinum qualified Velotech Trainer here. Used to run my own courses too.

however, there is a distinction to be made between what you should do and what I do for my bikes!

Most of mine are 'yeah that'll work'

Other peoples bikes range from geting them going from zero, to trying to grind cable outers level for best ferrule fit etc.

but then, some people are daft.

The suntour epicons on my soul haven't ever been serviced. I've had them since 2009.

To be fair I haven't attempted it, did my fox floats recently though

Crap, what makes it worse is I actually have the skills to completely strip a bike and rebuild it, I can index gears and service forks (RS ones anyway) but invariably my bike is a rattly mess until I pass someone else to fix it.

I lack time and space, but getting a garage of my very own in a few days, a stand, a worktop and a tool chest so all my stuff in on one place - whether this improves the state of my bike, only time will tell!

but getting a garage of my very own in a few days, a stand, a worktop and a tool chest so all my stuff in on one place

This makes a big difference. Especially if you can make the garage a nice place to work. Good lighting and not too cold / draughty. Then just add beer and tunes 🙂

motorbikes and cars are MUCH harder!

Not really. Its just a process with more parts and a bigger price for error.

and is generally more awkard and takes much longer (due to more parts) so is harder in that regard.

I would rather work on a bike than a car anyday. Too many winter evenings trying to get my Hilman Imp to work as a 17 year old put me off for life...

Especially if you can make the garage a nice place to work. Good lighting and not too cold / draughty. Then just add beer and tunes

That aint no garage, thats a man-cave!

Mine is typically in reasonable shape, but that is down to me taking it promptly to have things done to it when it needs them. I change brake pads and cables, clean and grease bearings, keep the drive clean, change chains, top-up tyre sealant and the like. Brake bleeds, fork services etc. are usually someone else's job, I accept that that's a cost of running the machine.

🙂

Note to self, don't let BigDummy fit my chainring.

I can just about do the basics i.e. stuff you would need to do on the trail to keep running and the usually greasing, oiling etc. Sadly not allowed to do any big or potentially messy jobs in my rather cramped crib so brake bleeds, tubeless stuff and suspension works get contracted out.

I'm pretty decent at it I think

I've had a couple of LBS's deliver sub-standard work, so this has led to me buying the appropriate tools & teaching myself most things

In the last couple of months I've done a lower leg service, replaced some cartridge bearings in my front hub, bled all my brakes (just for fresh fluid - they didn't need doing) & lifted the seals & packed fresh grease into my bottom bracket bearings

ulysse - Member

Especially if you can make the garage a nice place to work. Good lighting and not too cold / draughty. Then just add beer and tunes

That aint no garage, thats a man-cave!

Shhh, 'Man Cave' is a bad word in our house - but thanks to the 'post truth' era, a 'Garage' with light, heat, wi-fi, a carpet, fridge, and possibly a sofa can still be a 'garage' as long as I let her keep the Lawnmower in there.

Garage...

Can't wait.

Now reasonable at most things that are required to keep the fleet in working order but it took time to learn. My natural inclination does not involve methodical so I have had to retrain in that regard.

The biggest problems I have are time, it always takes longer than I think and lighting; no matter what anyone says natural light is the best. Older eyes, varifocal glasses and artificial light are not a good combination.

I'm hopeless. Brake pads is about my limit.

Will give anything other than suspension servicing a bash - first attempt is generally bobbins, then improving with successive attempts up to a reasonable standard! One exception was fitting a headset, managed to get that spot on 1st (and only) time I did it. Having the nice shiny tool helped, mind.

My (not very) LBS isn't on my way anywhere, so I generally take the view that if it's an hour round trip to drop it off then I might as well spend that time trying to fix it.

I'm pretty confident with the spanners.
I've worked in various construction/Engineering jobs all my life, and have previously done some fairly 'deep dive' stuff on cars (engine swaps on Landrovers etc)
I've got a roll-cab full of decent tools and a (small but well equipped) man-shed to work in.
I'll happily have a bash at most things on the bikes, but don't mind paying the LBS to true my wheels and do a bit of gear-shift tuning.. they don't charge a lot and will do a better job in 20mins than I'd do in a whole evening.
Bikes are a hobby to me, and as I have limited time I'd rather be riding than spannering.

Varies between 😛 and 😮

Building up a rolling chassis a couple of weeks ago and came to fitting and setting up the derailleur. Never done one before so found a video on the interweb and watched it several times, then got the setup right first time 😆 But ... if the indexing is out on a derailleur, can I fix it? Can I f***!

Some jobs that require a specific or expensive tool that I don't have means a visit to the local bike mechanic. Have only ever built one wheel (following Roger Musson's book) which was pretty decent until it suffered a bike - gate interface incident.

Usually, once I've got my head around doing a job then I'm fine. Until then it's like, well, riding a bike!

I ..cannot ...index.....gears

Someone needs to tell me the jedi/black magic secret. It's all in the cable tension/barrel adjustment, I get that..still can't do it.

this makes me unhappy.

I have never services a rear shock or built a wheel. Everything I can do or am happy to give a go. I don't like paying people for stuff I can do myself, unless they are waaaay better than me!!