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........ Pivot bearing change
My Kona has done well, 3 years o riding in all weathers, but I lost the whole of sunday, a fair bit of skin off my knuckles and had to get the touch up paint out too
depends on the bike for me... his Sworks is a doddle... however the old T-130 that was a nightmare getting them in straight.
...the one you don't have the right tools for.
My Ibis is covered in bearings but with a set of blind pullers and proper presses, it's quite a satisfying job.
Bearing changes are a total PITA. For me it's always those jobs that should be a piece of cake, but always end up being a bit of a mess because of something unexpected. I changed my dropper cable last week, it took me 2 attempts at the inner before I realised that it was pulling through at the lever end because the cable stop bolt was threaded.
I still think cleaning my bike is far worse than any maintenance job
+1
There are a good few bike manufacturers who need to learn to design easily accessible / replaceable bearnings.
From memory: Oranges with the 'clamping wedge' make life easy, as did a Cannondale I worked on once with expanding collet mounted main hardware.
Come on bike manufacturers - simple things like flat surfaces to get the tools onto...
Incorrect.
There is no worse bike maintenance job than fitting mudguards.
I am a calm and mild mannered person, but I came astonishingly close to throwing a bike across the garage the last time I did it.
I do all my own spannering, but this is the one job I now pay an LBS to do.
Cleaning a bike is worse.
On one bike it's easy, on another, it's an absolute nightmare, i could change bearings on a transition patrol in less than an hour, put it back and be done, on my ebike, a giant ereign, they have some really good design bits, like the spacers they use for the shock mounting being small, annoying and requiring 3 hands to move them in to place, they also had the great idea of running the rear mech and rear brake cables through the lower rocker mount, so to change those bearings (6 of them), you need to remove the rear brake hose and rear mech cable to get them.
So on this bike, after a bearing change i then have to rebleed the rear brake, reset the rear mech and fiddle for ages to get that bloody shock lined up and bolted back in.
Next bike i buy will have a more in-depth check on things like this!
I will counter with internal routing of the front derailleur on my Cannondale Synapse Road bike.
**** me sideways and call me Julie i must have been at it for about 2 hours before finally getting it in the right hole (oo er mrs)
Never again, next time its off to the lbs.
how is cleaning a bike the worst?!
Spray with mucoff (other rip-off sprays are available)
Spray with pressure washer
job jobbed.
try and remember to lube chain before setting off next time.
the more you clean, the more issues you find.
There is no worse bike maintenance job than fitting mudguards.
I did a lovely job fitting full-length SKS guards to my commuter last month (if I do say so myself), but it did take an absolute lifetime.
Fit stays, offer up mudguard, remove, hacksaw a tiny bit off, offer up mudguard, hacksaw a tiny bit more off, file etc. Think I repeated that process four times.
like the spacers they use for the shock mounting being small, annoying and requiring 3 hands to move them in to place
So true - when other manufacturers create 'top hat' spacers, that stay on as you slide everything together.
It is not that difficult.
Getting rubber grommets back in on any frame with internal routing that uses grommet in place of something better
I've not done it but replacing the dropper cable on an alloy gen 2 Levo is pretty awful according to my LBS - you have to take the whole motor out! Internal cabling routing - why?!!
Stem alignment, I'm never satisified it is exact.
Fitting a saddle twists my melon.
One hand for the saddle, another for the clamping plate, another for the non-captive nut or plate thing, another hand for the screw and yet another for the allen key to fo it all up.
how is cleaning a bike the worst?!
Spray with mucoff (other rip-off sprays are available)
Spray with pressure washerjob jobbed.
Use to do that with a standard hose but spent longer sorting out the grinding chain afterwards. Plus my bikes are kept indoors so using a hose makes more mess to clean up. Cleaning it all properly without making more mess takes a long time.
@dcwhite1984
Assume it's similar to a CAAD12 - internal cables on that first time I did them was an all day job that resulted in a bike that shifted like crap.
2nd time around I had the tool to remove the Si crankset and a magnetic internal cabling kit, think was done in an hour.
finbar
Free MemberI did a lovely job fitting full-length SKS guards to my commuter last month (if I do say so myself), but it did take an absolute lifetime.
Fit stays, offer up mudguard, remove, hacksaw a tiny bit off, offer up mudguard, hacksaw a tiny bit more off, file etc. Think I repeated that process four times.
I've only fitted one set of proper mudguard - was prepared for the worst, but it ended up being reasonably satisfying. Kinesis guards on a Kinesis Racelight fwiw
Removing a stuck crank from a bottom bracket.
Don't ask.
Replacing a broken spoke on a tubeless wheel.
ta11pau1
Full MemberRemoving a stuck crank from a bottom bracket.
Don’t ask.
'oh, you know about bikes, can you just have a look at the gears/brakes/whatever on my BSO....'
Sorry,I enjoy fitting mudguards and always expect that an element of bodge/fettling is all part of the fun. 🙂
However,I never look forward to chain and derailleur cleaning (when I have left it too long) on my winter bikes.
@boombang yes i would assume very similar, i have the tool to remove the crank but not the magnetic kit, which is why i think it took me so long.
Thankfully i dont need to do it very often.
Internal cable routing on an Orange has to be up there (and +1 to the rubber grommets).
But at least the pivot bearing change is pretty easy.
Fitting a saddle twists my melon.
One hand for the saddle, another for the clamping plate, another for the non-captive nut or plate thing, another hand for the screw and yet another for the allen key to fo it all up.
Glad it's not just me! Every time I do it I think that there must be some trick I'm missing that makes the whole thing much easier. (If I am, someone please enlighten me!)
replacing the dropper cable on an alloy gen 2 Levo is pretty awful according to my LBS – you have to take the whole motor out! Internal cabling routing – why?!!
Its a pain in the ass for sure but there's no need to remove the motor.
Remove the motor cover on the NDS and feed both ends of the cable in from underneath.
There's a guide in there to give the cable a nice smooth curve at the bottom.
Changed my wife's Canyon Neuron bearings last month. Bearings so rusty they fell apart so couldn't use a puller.
All the best jobs rolled into one big one!
Clean bike first (properly clean for a change)
Remove mudhugger.
Change bearings.
Change rear gear cable (why wouldn't you?)
Refit mudhugger.
I'm fairly useless at bike maintenance. My mate who can fix almost anything asks me NOT to try and fix stuff, just bring it over to him 😉 However, my bro gave me an old road bike for my new (when it ever arrives) turbo. It's - let's be charitable here - had quite a hard life. So things I'm really not enjoying include
14mm Allen key needed to remove cranks...followed by a bearing puller to change the BB bearings
Replacing the front mech cable. I expect it'll be fine but those integrated shifters scare me
The strange world of road axles and freehubs. Just different enough to be confusing for a bear of little brain.
Carbon posts in carbon frames
On MTBs, I've given up bleeding brakes. I know it's easy if you have the kit/patience. But I have neither. And bearings (Ibis and Revel owner) also have to go 'to the man who understands these things'
Don't mind washing bikes tho. Hard to &&&& that up!
troublesome tubeless, when it works well it's fabulous, when it doesn't it's a shit show!
One I can’t take to my lbs for them to sort.
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This thing gave me soooo much trouble.
Cleaning is easy.
Wait til tomorrow.
Brush (now dry) mud off with a brush.
Spray GT85 on the bike, rub with cloth.
Done and looks brand new
Depends on the bike doens't it, simple jobs can become a nightmare just through one bad design decision. You can always tell when a designer expects to have to change the bearings or cables on a bike in future.
simple jobs can become a nightmare just through one bad design decision.
This.
Just swapped some hoses on sram rival. They are banjo fitting, so you think it would be nice and quick. But no, the banjos are under the same cover as the reservoir cover...for no good reason. So you open the whole thing up, swap the hoses, spill dot fluid everywhere, put it back together, and bleed. Nothing tidy about that at all. Rubbish.
I’ve not done it but replacing the dropper cable on an alloy gen 2 Levo is pretty awful according to my LBS – you have to take the whole motor out! Internal cabling routing – why?!!
IT is.. well kinda..
I fitted a dropper to my OH's trek HT e-bike... motor out... cable routing past the battery somewhere... complete faffage!
Should have got AXS!!
DrP
Cleaning out old tyre sealant.......
I will happily get covered in grease doing other stuff - but tyre sealant, no!
1. Anything that involves internal cable routing
2. Indexing gears on a BSO
You know how some freehubs (most freehubs??) are made of too soft a material for the purpose, so the splines on the cassette embed themselves into the body... You know that and when your son has been using the bike every day to get around and the gears start slipping... and he only gives you the wheel and not the whole bike.. and the wheel is a 135mm axle 10 speed QR, unlike every bike youve got... well that. That's fun in a freezing cold garage. Hitting the back of a cassette, hoping it works its way loose, then levering it with a screwdriver.
Quite satisfying when done I suppose.
i could change bearings on a transition patrol in less than an hour,
Your Transition must of had grease on the main pivot axle when they assembled it. Took 2 hours to get the axle out of the last one I did, bearings stuck on the pivot axle!!
I'd do any maintenance over having to deal with bike shops and distributors with warranty issues.
I've used channel lock pliers to hold the end of the hub and a chain whip to rotate the cassette back a bit. I HOPE that helps.
See what I did there ---^?
Removing sram dub cranks. **** you ****.
Removing the direct drive on an brand new, assembled FSA Comet crankset because the spacer was on the wrong side of the spider for boost spacing.
I had to fit a pedal to the crank, clamp the crank arm with jagged, pinny pedal between my legs, hold the tool on flat, with my hand around it and the chainring, and lever a giant spanner for all I was worth. About a dozen attempts, and some very strange noises from me, and it finally started shifting. No holes on clothes or skin, but I was sore for a while afterwards.
Next time (there better not be one!) I'll try and clamp the tool on with a headset press.
Pivot bearing change
You're supposed to change them?
Oh.
Removing sram dub cranks
If you start comparing SRAM stuff with Shimano it's soon clear who's more home mechanic friendly, Cranks, bleeding brakes, changing shifter cables....But I would like to have a conversation with the engineer who decided 54Nm was a good idea for crank bolts with a relatively fine thread thrown in for extra win
Cup and cone hubs, especially if the bearing faces are pitted for when it comes time to tighten them.
I’ve just now bought a full set of cone spanners as I have 2 sets of wheels to sort (one is more of a salvage and make do affair).
hooli
Free Member1. Anything that involves internal cable routing
See, this is another "it depends". My remedy has partial internal routing but it has nice removable covers so that passing a cable through is actually really simple. Slightly more hassle than full outers, mind, but not drastically.
tubeless tyres for me - hate the sodding things and the stuff.
Bleeding brakes. Trying to keep the brake internals clean in a garage recently swept to remove sawdust and other floor detritus. Everything gets slippery as hell. Stupid little hose clips do not stay clipped onto stupid little hoses. Stupid little hoses decamp from the bleed nipples at exactly the wrong moment and spray mineral oil all over the place, making things even more slippery, except for any airborne detritus missed in Step 1 which magically sticks to everything now covered in mineral oil.
Hate it.
Setting up new style Shimano front mechs.
Older mechs were fairly logical really but the new ones still melt my brain a little, the high/low adjust seems to work in unexpected ways and the trim shift doesn't really appear to do anything.
Have my eye on a couple of older generation Ultegra mechs on eBay...
...when you offer to fix a friend's bike and they decide that means while they wait, stood there expecting converstaion and refreshments, asking questions to seem like they're involved in the process and generally distracting you as much as possible.
Derailleur cable outer change on MY19 Stumpy Evo alloy. You have to take the bloody back end off the bike. What should be a 15 minute job is best part of 2 hours. Suffice to say, I bought lots of those Risk stick on cable guides off Alex AliExpress and went fully external last time I did it.....
There is no worse job than…
…explaining to my wife why there is a bicycle in bits, in the kitchen, again.
There was also the incident with the blue Orange that she suddenly realised was now an orange, Orange about two hours into a ride. I’d had it for over a year. That took some innovative fixing.
Threading internally routed brake hoses around ebike motors seems appealing on reflection.
Have my eye on a couple of older generation Ultegra mechs on eBay…
I've got a band-on one you can have for £5 incl postage?
(Although, if you follow the Shimano instructions, the new ones really are a doddle!)
I bought lots of those Risk stick on cable guides off Alex AliExpress and went fully external last time I did it…..
Do post a link, if they've turned out to be any good?
I own two Oranges.
I've probably wasted more time with tubeless than anything. Particularly on Stans Arch Ex - just a total pain.
But Kona pivot bearings are the reason i've only ever owned one FS bike. Only lasted 6 months before they needed replacing. When i finally figured out how to get the last one out - it took incorrect parts diagrams and then someone in America posting in an obscure section of a forum an "oh guys, look what I discovered" post before I figured it out. Then, somehow or other, one of the spacers bounced out and I tore the shed apart looking for it and ended up getting a mate to turn up a replacement.
By the time it was finished i had the bike for sale ... then discovered the seat post was stuck in the carbon frame!
Not at all for me. Easy on the Nomad with cheap tools. On the Murmur it's an absolute piece of pish. Will see how Privateer is in due course.
For me the worst is definitely brake bleeding.
Getting rubber grommets back in on any frame with internal routing that uses grommet in place of something better
Whyte have a tool for this if you email them (it's not on their site).
Combination of pain and frequency, it has to be tubeless tyres.
Never look forward to brake bleeding, but at least it isn't too frequent.
Always put off cable replacement of anything internal, although this has reduced frustration in the last year or so.
Conversely I quite enjoy building wheels and tweaking or changing stems and bars - although I'll be avoiding those uber-internal routing stem/bar setups as long as possible.
Has anyone ever re-cabled an aero bike, with internal routing through bars, stem spacers,headtube, and frame? Total nightmare, especially when you consider the cables/hoses need to be within a few mm of the correct length, have to be in the correct postion relative to each other (try aligning four of them as they come out of/into the headtube through split spacers that constantly fall apart), don't come out of the bars anywhere near where they should to align with the levers, and all to massage somebody's delicate little ego as they pretend they're a pro racer where every split second matters.
Oh, and re-fitting the shock on the old Specialized Enduros (the ones with the ball jointed bush arrangement to cope with wonkety rear ends). Until you made a dummy shaft to hold everything together, you had no hope, but a whole new list of swear words.
Trying to simply oil the chain on an ebike.
Can't spin the cranks, can't flip it upside down because of the display, can't lift the rear wheel up AND pedal due to the fact it weighs the same as a beached whale, can't quite rotate the chainring without feeling like you're going to lose fingers, can't justify over a tenner for a 3d printed chainring rotating tool.... 😂
Internal cable routing on an Orange has to be up there (and +1 to the rubber grommets).
But at least the pivot bearing change is pretty easy.
Yes ! At least the cable routing us possible, not the grommets. Going to have to go AXS.
Swapping my gravel bike's brakes from euro front-brake-on-the-left madness to uk front-brake-on-the-right sensibility. ALL the fiddly jobs in one massive continuum of fiddliness.
- Unwrap bar tape
- Undo hose 1, catch spilling mineral oil
- Snip and new olive
- Repeat for hose 2
- Attach hoses to the correct levers
- Remove front pads and bleed front brake
- Refit front pads
- Realise bleed screw on rear brake can't be accessed without removing caliper
- Remove caliper
- Remove rear pads and bleed rear brake
- Refit rear pads
- Refit rear caliper and centre
- Re-wrap bar tape
Holy moly I was glad when that was finished.
Trying to simply oil the chain on an ebike.
Aye, this! (Kiox mounted on top tube of the Rail helps, but still, it's a muckle ****er to turn upside down!).
There's a wee saddle hook going on the indide of the van door to address this shortly, I just hope the door hinges can take the weight!.
Trying to simply oil the chain on an ebike.
I always lube my Levo's chain with the bike upside down, granted the display is mounted into the top tube so it dosent get damaged
When i have to lube a chain on a ebike with the display on the bars (the wife's bike for example) a simple trick is to place a couple of house bricks on the floor and place the bike upside down with the grips sat on the bricks thus moving the display away from the floor
You can't spin the cranks backwards on an ebike?
Has anyone ever re-cabled an aero bike, with internal routing through bars, stem spacers,headtube, and frame?
This is why I think I can never buy a modern off the shelf road bike, recently had a nightmare with proprietary seatclamps as well. Next frame will be nice round steel tubes, standard aftermarket seatclamp, standard headset, cables under top tube. Maybe a set of aero wheels as a token nod to trying to go a few seconds faster 😎
You can’t spin the cranks backwards on an ebike?
You can, but it's disengaged from the chainring.
Bleeding road disc brakes on internally routed frames. It's almost impossible to not have areas where air can be trapped whilst trying to keep the lever horizontal for the silly funnel thing.
5mm allen key in the chainring bolt on shimano motors means you can pedal backwards.
Yes ! At least the cable routing us possible, not the grommets.
Why don't they just make them a tiny bit smaller?
Cheers @andyrm
5mm allen key in the chainring bolt on shimano motors means you can pedal backwards.
Good idea!
Has anyone ever re-cabled an aero bike, with internal routing through bars, stem spacers,headtube, and frame?
TT bikes are the worst, threading it all down the tri-bars first.
Internal cables are horrendous. Hoses and Di2 I don't mind as much because once it's in, it generally doesn't need to come out again or need replacing and tight bends are less of an issue.
Bikes are getting better, especially with wireless shifting and the new Shimano Di2 is semi-wireless but some of the early inttegrations were total bastards to work with.
Looks like a tapered punch.
Bleeding some brakes can be a pain but I recently bled a new SRAM brake with the bleeding edge port and it makes it so easy, I f I could combine a bleeding edge at the bottom with the Shimano funnel at the top it would be perfect.
And to the people who say cleaning a bike isn't a hassle, I bet they're the type who also say washing the dishes isn't a pain in the backside but actually only briefly dunk them in lukewarm mildly soapy water.