• This topic has 19 replies, 17 voices, and was last updated 10 years ago by Gunz.
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  • Easiest, cheapest way to improve my Bike mechanic skills?
  • Whathaveisaidnow
    Free Member

    My skills are very limited and I want to be able to to do it all, so it becomes second nature..

    i’d do a course, but they are very expensive,… i was thinking, best way would be to build up a bike with tuition from video instruction on youtube or something?

    Is there one place with all the content? – as youtube is bit hit and miss…

    and i’d need a good set of tools, so where should i look for those too at a good price.

    tah

    khani
    Free Member

    Strip your bike down and find a mate who knows what to do, bribe/tempt him/her with beer/pizza to come and build your bike back up, and watch carefully and ask questions.
    It may help to find the mate before you strip your bike down…

    Gunz
    Free Member

    This is not intended to be a glib answer but I started building up frames at 15 by just taking stuff apart, cleaning and re-assembling. A bike isn’t the world’s most complicated machine, just get stuck in (cold lager and Radio 4 are however essential).

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    mikewsmith
    Free Member

    Parks blue book and sheldon brown online?

    Tools generally you get what you pay for! There are some kits around from ice tools that look like good starters.

    In the end I’d suggest a nice 4,5&6mm allen key, A T25 (all T Handles) and some nice screw drivers. That will take care of most things then get the right tools as you go.

    Add in some lubes, grease, anti seize and degreaser.

    meehaja
    Free Member

    buy a bike that works, take it all apart, put it back together again until it all works again. You know youhave all the parts and nothig is broken, so any failings are your own. Youtube may help, but you can’t beat looking, feeling and seeing!

    muppetWrangler
    Free Member

    Why the rush to know everything at once? Just repair/replace stuff yourself as and when you need to. Buy decent tools as you go along and in a few years you’ll have a quality set of just what you need without any one big expenditure.

    As above park and sheldon brown are good how to resources. But another often overlooked resource are the instruction leaflets that come with all shimano (not sure about other companies) parts which are also available as downloads for when you’ve chucked them away two years earlier.

    I reckon the most important thing you need for tackling any new project is patience. Go at it like a bull in a china shop and it will always be frustrating. Take your time initially and you’ll learn how to do stuff just right.

    weeksy
    Full Member

    Ask on here for someone to meet up with and strip bits off, do jobs, fix things, etc etc

    perthmtb
    Free Member

    At risk of coming over all fuddy-duddy, I don’t find 30sec YouTube clips that useful in bike maintenance, partly because my computer is inside and my bike maintenance nearly always done outside.

    I prefer a good bike maintenance book, remember those things with pages 😉 , so you can pour over it at your leisure with the bike infront of you, and go straight to the most useful pages by following the oily finger marks 🙂

    My personal favourites are…

    And as for tools, my advice would be to start with one of the sets that most online retailers do – they are incredible value, and although not the highest quality, have most of the specialist tools you’ll need, and you can always add and upgrade as the need arises.

    plyphon
    Free Member

    Cheapest way? Don’t over tighten!

    Whathaveisaidnow
    Free Member

    yeh, i think i’ve over-tightened my headset, it is creaky, will take a step back tonight….

    Edric64
    Free Member

    I agree with the getting a mate who knows what he is doing and gradually buying the correct tools as you need them.Decent allen keys and torx keys and screwdrivers and buy good cable cutters to start with.

    kudos100
    Free Member

    The best way to learn is to build bikes.

    If you are in the market for a new bike, build it up from scratch. You will learn about the different standards and which tools you need to build a complete bike.

    Ideally if you have a mate who knows what they are doing then this will be a big help.

    As long as you take your time and make sure you have the right tools/parts for the solution, building and repairing bikes is not that difficult.

    Whathaveisaidnow
    Free Member

    what is the art of not over-tightening?

    KidCragg
    Free Member

    Plus 1 for that zinn art of mountain bike maintenance book.

    A mate brought it for me for my birthday and its cut down my pre-ride faffing no end

    PeterPoddy
    Free Member

    There is no ‘easy way’
    It takes time, aptitude and practice. Mostly aptitude in my opinion too. Some people couldn’t twirl a spanner if ther lives depended on it. You need to have a love and an understanding of mechanical things. When you start taking it for granted or thinking you know it all you start making mistakes too.

    And be prepared to make mistakes and break stuff before you get there.
    Put it this way, a 2 week Cytech course will not turn a beginner into a professional. It’ll just confuse you. 🙂
    I’ve been doing my own bikes for 15 years and other people’s since the start of January and I still learn something new every day, on every bike. I’m just about to delve into the world of Campagnolo, for instance…..
    Can’t wait! 🙂

    rewski
    Free Member

    If you’re in London there’s free training in southwark

    RayMazey
    Free Member

    1 day course =£99

    http://www.mountainbikeinstruction.co.uk/csmaint.asp?session=65748131025002231939671220721

    Its excellent. Not that I am biased 😀

    Mugboo
    Full Member

    I started with Zinn which is good although the Internet is probably better. Merlin workstand and toolkit deal. Replace the odd tool if it breaks and constantly suprise yourself buy finding out that you now own the right tool you just didn’t know what is for.. (v comprehensive tool kit).

    Get all your mates to chip in for a tool share for all the other bits.

    Main thing you now need is two bikes so you can fix one and ride the other. One or the other of mine is nearly always in need of some TLC.

    coolhandluke
    Free Member

    What Gunz said.

    Same way I learned, apart from the Radio 4 bit. I’d never admit to listening to that station on a public forum.

    Gunz
    Free Member

    Heathen, how on earth can you hope to fix a squeaky brake without Question Time urging you on?

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