Am I dumb or something?

canada16

Hey

Please don't answer that: but serious.

I am taking my bike to the bike shop all the time for little things, the last escapade was that my front mech was rubbing on my chain, well two clicks of my gears adjuster and they sorted it, should I not know this stuff.

Yesterday, changed my tyres because of the snow, it took my like an hour, and they were folding ones.

Now my brakes don't sound right, and maybe they are not true as I can see a slight wobble, back to the LBS I go on Thursday.. I swear they are laughing at me

I cant afford 100.00 for bike lessons, the LBS is quite good and sometimes does not charge me as it only takes them a few seconds, which would take me days to figure out, and if I did figure it out I would probably break it.

Is anyone else in the same boat, I have tried reading manuals, they use terms I cant understand.

I by no means am a noob rider, as I am confident on the XC trails, but when it comes to bikes I don't have a clue.

Please tell me I am not the only one.

counterculture

im the same, im on switching tyres, fixing punctures, and fitting chains(ive had enough bloody practice of all 3) but when it comes to things like disc brakes and gears i become a f***tard, LBS do courses, so ill be attending one of those in the near future.

supersonic

Park Tools website is excellent. Then it's trial and error!

Milkie

Everyone has to start somewhere!

When I started fixing my mini, it would take me ages, and my friends would laugh at me. Now they ask me for help, you'll learn as you go. Had it down to 20 minutes for a head change in the mini, which used to take me all afternoon!

The ParkTools website has everything you need to know to service your bike yourself, if you have the right tools, and patience. You'll get faster/better once you've done a few things.

I hope you didn't have to pay for them to adjust your gears!? But at least you know for next time.

Someone will suggest a good book to buy, I can't remember the name of it.

supersonic

Zinn and the Art of Mountain Bike Maintenance!

Sarnian

supersonic wrote:

Zinn and the Art of Mountain Bike Maintenance!

This book Is great I have had a copy of this on the shelf In my shed for a few years, just when you think you know how to do most things something crops up and I have to use It.

canada16

The thing is, that no they dont charge me for doing simple little things, but that makes me feel even worse.

I have no idea which gear goes to which mech and which way I should twist for the problem.

Sorry I know just follow the cables, but still.

I seen that zinn thing, I swear they had a dvd.

But its no good when they start talking about piston caps and release valves ect...

Why can they just say that round thing near your gear levers...

Will keep plugging on, but I feel so dumb.

Thanks guys

The Big Cheese

I too am 'fairly' competent around a bike but I must admit, gears and indexing still get me every time. I always use my LBS for indexing. The rest I do myself (apart from facing frame etc)

I am determined to discover how to do it all myself, trial and error as above!

I know that it's very frustrating sometimes though!

Raymondavalon

I can hack most things on my bikes, but I do use the LBS for wheel trueing, inner cable (not sleeve) replacement and gear indexing,
Slowly but surely you pick of the skills as you go along, but it's usually things like the special tools that forces a person to use the LBS
In time you buy those tools and although you use them once in a blue moon, they're an absolute Godsend if/when you need them and are able to undertake the task at hand yoursrelf

canada16

So I assume indexing in moving the adjusters to tighten or loosen the cable then.

I might have moved it again to try play around with it, thats why my chain is slipping maybe.

Who knows, at least I am not feeling frustrated alone.

Well back to the LBS again.

stumpyjon

Gear indexing is one of the easiest things to do although you can get in a right mess if you're not methodical. Put my Stumpy back together after Christmas after a complete restrip, took an hour to get the rear mech indexed, problem, I had the stop screw in too far :roll: , sorted that and 2 mins later all done.

off-one

I like to think of myself as a reasonable mechanic. But the other night when swapping forks over. I managed to knock the star nut too far down the steerer, then got a screwdriver stuck in it, which I then snapped. So now I have two star nuts and a screwdriver handle in there. Still it keeps the front end down when climbing.

clarkson

another vote for mr zinns book!! also just trial and error. learnt all i know from trying to fix stuff, then if i made it worse or broke it, id possibly go to the lbs. i've since built 2 bikes, fixed loads and im still learning. just playing around with stuf teaches you loads of stuff.

most things on a bike can be done with an allen key and a phillips screwdriver.

ive since got a job as a bike mechanic, using what ive learnt from my own bikes. i used to be hopeless too. i used to spend houres with gears trying to get them to work, and having tried everything under the sun to get them to work, i can now diagnose gear problems fairly quickly. its just a case of playing around with stuff!!

Mjolnir

I put most of my new bike together myself. It's been a lot of trial and error in places and the ParkTool site has been brilliant for showing me things like gear indexing.

I had to take it to the LBS to get the forks put on as it needed the headset put in and I don't have the tools (or the skills... yet).

I was thinking that I was doing really well until I looked at the pages on taking your mech apart for servicing :shock: . I suppose that's the next level though. Maybe one day.

canada16 wrote:

Why can they just say that round thing near your gear levers...

This sounds like a great idea. I'd buy a book that broke it down like this for me.

canada16

So here it goes.

I have been on park and they dont make it easy, not to sure if the book is better.

I need either a dvd to show me how, or a book that has alot of pics, just like pre-school

Which book do I need, would prefer dvd though, but cant seem to find much though.

Thanks guys, you have made me feel a bit better.

PS my thumbs are killing me trying to get those tyres on, I have the kit but had to use my thumbs in the end.

buzz1

Perhaps good old MBUKs next free DVD will be a basic "show how" on bike maintenance

buzz1

Perhaps good old MBUKs next free DVD will be a basic "show how" on bike maintenance :idea:

supersonic

Zinn is good for novices, park a bit more in depth. Not sure i could explain the basics any better than either. You do pick up little tricks though, and someone showing you is always the best way.

Check youtube too.

akcc05

When there are terms that you don't understand, try typing it in on google and image search it. I found that helpful when I was at your stage, now I can index gears front and rear in 15-20 minutes (road that is), as long as I can get the forked-out (is that the phrase? spreaded cable ends maybe?) cable ends back into and through the outer cables. I can even rebuild the bike in about 2 hours which is not quick at all but I get by. You will definately get better over time. No one on here is dumb because we all ride bikes !

Raymondavalon

clarkson wrote:

another vote for mr zinns book!! .. just playing around with stuf teaches you loads of stuff.

Rankin wrote "Experience is the hard teacher, she gives the test first and the lesson later" and it has to be one of the best quotes ever..

There are also some good, albeit low res "MTB how to" videos to be found on YouTube
I found a handy video there that taught me the basics of front derailer indexing, it still took me forever :¬P
The reason I send my bike in for indexing is the lack of a suitable workshop area (3 MTBs live in my dining room) and also no workstand

Northwind

Everything I know about spannering, I learned by just jumping in. Sure, that can go very wrong, but I went from being a complete mechanical idiot to being able to strip and rebuild engines just by reading and trying, and posting on forums... It's intimidating, but it's not brain surgery.

canada16

Guys I think I did it.

I sat on my hard cold kitchen floor, took my brakes apart, cleaned them and put the pads back first time ever, and nothing happened, no pistons popped out or anything from what other people have said to watch out for, they just went back and they were like a magnet.

Then for my gears, I think my hanger was broken, so I kinda bent it back, and then played with the dials on my gears and its seems ok, no skipping and chain coming off the track.

So impressed, but hey they bike ride will tell tomorrow.

My rear pads had little chips around the edges, is this normal, or do they need replacing.

They are superstar ones, and some people have said they are garbage, I have magura pads on front and they look fine.

Might even canx my app. with the LBS, who knows.

Thanks again guys, might grab a book and start bleeding and changing gears and mechs next.

OK got a superstar carbon post, Should I lube it or no, as my inside tube feels a bit gritty, which I will use white spirits to clean, Also would it not make sence to put a bit of black lekky tabe on the base so you dont damage the tube?

Really appreciate the help to no end,

LordBanks

Get yourself on YouTube fella, type in what you want to do, i.e "index shimano gears" and there'll be loads of videos to help you.

I like the park tools website, but its only good if you already have a rough idea of what you want to do, i find being shown (i.e by youtube) much easier to understand.

maximus69

+1 for utube. i set my gears up usi.ng a vid off it, easy peesy!!

_Ferret_

It's always good to support your local bike shop...

But yes, you are dumb.

It's just trial and error - don't be afraid to get your hands dirty. I took apart an old XTR gear shifter the other day. Didn't have a clue what I was doing but managed to dissassemble it down to the last spring. I also managed to re-assemble it too.

Give it a go! Learning by doing!

Banned!

asking online or other riders you meet when out and about is the second best way to learn.

the best way is, of course, to try and fail, remember where you went wrong then start again and do it right.

I used to be a complete spastic and had no idea what I was doing and the lbs made a fair bit of cash out of me. now, unless its a specific problem that requires a specific tool I do it myself. the next problem I will have it that I need a longer hose on my front brake. i cant do this myself so I will let the bike shop sort that for me.

Stuey01

Gears are about the easiest thing there is to do on a bike these days, they are so well designed that installing them is almost idiot proof.

For the rear:
Screw Derailleur to frame.
Adjust lower limit screw so that top jockey wheel is in line with bottom sprocket.
Pull cable through, just finger taut, attach.
Run through gears, if it doesn't shift up smoothly to each gear then wind the shifter barrel adjust out a little.
Repeat.
Once you smoothly get each gear, shift all the way up to the largest sprocket and check to see if you can push the deraileur over further (not while pedalling!) If so then wind in the upper limit screw to prevent over shifting.

Job done.

Front is pretty much the same process but you have to pay a little attention to the angle of the deraileur cage and height.

It is amazing how much you can do with basic tools. I used to think you needed a special tool to install a crown race, then I saw a vid on youtube showing me how to do it with a screwdriver and a hammer - job done. To think Park charge £50+ for a tool to do this is ridiulous!

canada16

Does anyone know how I should prepare a carbon seatpost ?

Should I lube or put black lekky tap on bottom to protect it?

Thanks for all your help, sorted my gears took me about an hour but played with the dials and it does not skip anymore.

Thanks again guys

delcol

zinns is definatly a good place to start,..

you tube has most thing covering bike maintainece to also there are a few dvds out there that will help you to,..

i to had very little knowladge on mtbs comming from a bmx background i never come across gears and disc brakes,.

but they really not that hard to set up,.. i have now built up 3 bikes it really aint to hard it does help if you have propper tools to install parts ( to avoid bodging and snapping things) a work stand makes life so much easier..

try to get a copy of zinns and take a look on you tube there's some help full vids on there..

Iain C

You're probably not the most mechanically minded, but also probably not dumb! I'm in my mid 30s and have come bck to biking in a big way in the last year or so since more or less giving up when I passed my driving test at 17. When I were a lad, I used to pride myself on being able to take apart my Dawes Shadow or Ridgeback R602 with about 3 spanners and a hammer, but that was in days of thumbies, rigid forks, no sealed bearings, Aheadsets or anything else.

I'm now amazed at the complexity of modern bikes, but if you are keen to learn then i investing a decent tool kit and workstand (lifeline do both for about £80 and £60 respectively) and investing some time reading Park, and if you get really stuck, consulting the workshop section on here, will make all the difference.

I think of myself as a mechanically competent person...even though I drive a desk I've done major conversion work on Landrovers, and built bits of boats from scratch out of carbon fibre, so of course I don't need instructions for fiddlng with bike gears. WRONG...compared with the old stuff, modern kit is so complex and finely tuned it's amazing just how much smoother you can get it working if you "RTFM" if you know what I mean!

Perhaps if I'd "RTFM" then I'd have known that you can't just split a modern 9 speed chain wherever you want for cleaning like back in the day with a 5 speeder, and rejoin it without a powerlink, then it would not have broken at the end of White's Level, and then I woud not have just bought a replacement without doing the rear casette...etc etc etc!!!

Good luck!

jayson

Theres no better way to learn how to fix and keep ur bike running than jumping in and getting ur hands dirty, everything i know ive learned myself over the years.

The only thing i cant do is fit a headset primarily because i dont have the tools for doing it properly and building a wheel which is just too daunting for me im afraid. Everything else is completely do-able at home with a bit of time and patience.

Park Tools site is good for looking at how things go together but even then its no substitute for getting stuck in, its immensley satisfying knowing u fixed ur own bike when its all running sweetly.