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dannyh
Loose bearing cup and cone hubs.
Oh, I agree... my *spit* Shimano hubs need regreasing.. but I'm tempted to just buy new hubs/wheels rather than get the spanners out 😀
> Bb30 is a doddle
Hmmm, it’s not, but it’s not as bad as many make out and I certainly have had bigger problems with removing threaded BBs.
Maybe I've had good luck, but I've never had an issue with BB30 swaps. I'm always pretty fastidious about greasing bearings when they go in (helps to keep the BB30 signature creaking down too) and this means that they rarely need more than a couple of modest taps with the plastic hammer to get them out. Whip out the circlips, clean the whole lot up nicely, regrease, circlips back in, press in the bearings and seals and cranks back on. Can't be more than a 15 minute job, I reckon. In fact, it probably takes me longer to service the bearings (i.e. strip, degrease, regrease etc. instead of a new set) than to get the things in and out.
Am I missing something?
I've had a few stubborn threaded BBs though, mostly when they've been assembled without grease and then ignored for five years. I've got a big-assed brace that I use for those jobs... 🙂
Straight stem can be tricky
Internal cables probably my worst, except on a recent Focus build they went straight through and out!
Not tried some of the harder things mentioned here (I pay someone to save me from going postal)
But I pose the simple task of moving a shimano front brake from one bike to another.
This somehow requires every single size of allen key except the 8mm
Of all the more complex jobs out there, the one job i despise the most is changing saddles, always seem to have to loosen both bottles to get saddle rails into top of seatpost clamps enough that i always undo one the whole way and loose it on floor, one of those "i need a third hand" jobs!
Shimano cup and cone hubs...getting them just so...
complete pain in the arse.
Am I missing something?
Removal for me was bash the plastic sleeve to destruction before it moves more than a couple of mm, bash the bearing out of the plastic sleeve, remove plastic sleeve easily. Repeat for other side.
Fitting was fine with a couple of adaptations to a headset press to fit the bearings.
Anything that “an engineer* has messed with prior to bringing it to you
*Best reply I heard to that one was oh yeah what software do you engineer ?;)
Speaking as an engineer, anything that's been through any of the LBS workshops within 100km is usually a good indicator that it'll be a frustrating job......
Internal di2 wires, cables or (the worst) hydraulic hoses. Arrrrggggghhhhhhhhh!
@Orangeboy on the slim chance you read this ref Di2 draining issues... Have you tried replacing the internal 4 port junction box? That fixed my draining problem (after trying new battery, replacing internal wires (see above), buying diagnostic tool and generally messing about for a fortnight)
Mudguards of the generic variety. Matching the curve to the tyre can take hours of trial and error.
OTOH fitting Giant mudguards to a Giant designed for them is a breeze.
Fitting tubes. It's not at all difficult, it's just irritating.
Also, reluctant tubeless. Again it's not difficult but it just has that thing where it waits til just before you give up and throw it in the sea before it works.
I adjusted my sister's Magura HS11 hydraulic rim brakes at the weekend. Jesus...all the disadvantages of both rim brakes and hydros, with none of the benefits - why would a manufacturer spec these instruments of torture?
Chainring bolts? I'm sure there's a 'technique' but I hate fitting the bastard things.
Indexing gears on a bike with a bent hanger.
But none of these are as painful as setting up those Magura Hydraulic rim brakes from way back when. Still have nightmares.
I adjusted my sister’s Magura HS11 hydraulic rim brakes at the weekend. Jesus…all the disadvantages of both rim brakes and hydros, with none of the benefits – why would a manufacturer spec these instruments of torture?
This! The amount of hours I have spent getting my HS33's adjusted when they were either on my bike or Mrs Mugsys.....
When they were good they were good though...(I'm talking back in 2004 ish)
Chainring bolts? I’m sure there’s a ‘technique’ but I hate fitting the bastard things.
There's a tool.......
The one I've never seemed to have figured out is indexing gears *after* they've been used for a while. Doing it from new, i.e. with new cable, etc., is fine but subsequent adjustments have it all over the place until I get it worked out then six months down the line I've forgotten it all again!
Forget everything I've said: as of today, the most frustrating job is trying to fit the new style Fox wiper seals without the proper wiper seal tool. What an absolutely evil job. I've now resorted to printing one of these to get the job done this week:
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2671245
Awful. Absolutely awful.
I bought myself a cheap Inspired Fourplay trials bike with, yep, HS33s on it. I have no idea what's going on with those. And apparently doing it with the booster fitted is even more of a pain in the arse. But so far it's not frustrating, more bewildering.
Also they are yellow so that balances it out a bit
Dealing with the self entitled w@#$%^&s that thing you owe them a favour because they walked theough the shop door.
Current road front mechs with no inline cable adjustment
Current road front mechs with no inline cable adjustment
I would argue that a modern road front mech without an inline barrel adjuster is probably installed incorrectly...
Forget everything I’ve said: as of today, the most frustrating job is trying to fit the new style Fox wiper seals without the proper wiper seal tool. What an absolutely evil job. I’ve now resorted to printing one of these to get the job done this week:
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2671245
/a>Awful. Absolutely awful.
What it is to live in the future! 24 hours later, I had these in my hands:
...and 10 minutes after, I had my fork seals fitted with no problem at all. If the future of bike spannering is downloading tools from the internet, then I reckon that this type of frustrating job might just become a thing of the past 🙂
OTOH fitting Giant mudguards to a Giant designed for them is a breeze.
I had the same experience, then they sawed right through the seatstays!
Worst job I've done is rebuilding shifters when someone else has taken it apart. Customer comes in with a jar full of tiny springs and complains that they can't figure out how to put it back together. That'll be 3 hours labour fees please.
I actually don't mind cup and cone bearings, the trick is to have them a tiny bit loose and the QR pressure will then have them exactly right. SKS mudguards are a bit awkward unless you have tools for easily cutting the stays. Berthoud steel guards need a lot of care as you have to drill them.
As for internal cables, it all depends if there's already a cable there. Fitting them for the first time if there's not guide in the frame or an old cable to chase through is extremely frustrating. I had to resort to a strong magnet on my frame...
Trying to work on Cannondale EBBs that have been on a bike for a few years. They lock solid and Won't come apart without significant applied energy. Why so stupid a design? My BMC EBB is a delight to adjust.
Setting up just about anything with the Promax name on it (especially if you expect it to stay as you left it for more than 10 minutes), or my latest hate, cabling up any of the latest Trek aero or TT bikes, I wouldn't wish that job on anybody bar the ba****ds who designed them.
Internal cabling +1
was thinking of this thread as I did my speccy roubix rear shifter cable, not sure that the lark Of having no outer cable in the frame is that great for servicing.
I’ve got the cable pull park tool for this thou and although the price is expensive it does make it pretty easy.
Otherwise it would be digging out old gear cable and a lot of pushing an poking an swearing.
Anything involving your partner’s bike
This. And out on a ride goes like....
"I cant shift the gears* "
Ok, let's stop and I'll sort it....
"No, its OK, I'll just keep walking "
it will only take a minute...
"No, come on, keep going...."
Then its forgotten and the bike put away with the issue ready to bit yer arse again on the next ride, or....
"You didn't fix that from the last time out"....
* insert any other random problem here.....
Most of the things on this topic, I've no problem with. Actually quite fond of smacking out push fit BBs and pressing new ones with a homemade headset press.
However...
Bloody Bar Tape! I'm sure it's fine if you do it regularly, but I don't.
Generally I have a quick YouTube as a reminder which direction to wrap and how to get around the hoods. Then it'll tangle up, it'll be uneven, I'll bugger about getting round the hoods, then the top sections will be short or uneven, I might cut the angle the wrong way when doing the last wrap. Once its even and nice, the bungs will put up a fight, or the crap tape will unstick after 24 hours, or two weeks later you'll notice the short sections under the hoods are showing a gap. And god forbid you want to rotate the bars a tad and then move the hoods down!