Who works on your bike?

bannedbiker

Was saying how I have to fix a mates bike all the time in another thread and it got me wondering.
I do all the work on my bike, maintenance, fitting new bits, overhauls etc. but i have a mate who cant manage to put his rear wheel back in! Then I got thinking that of the 10ish guys I regularly ride with, that only a few of us works on everyone elses bikes, and that LBSs barely ever get any work out of us.
Is this pretty common?

cat_with_no_tail

I do what I can, but if it's anything complicated, I'd rather just send it to the LBS and have them do it for me. Rather have it done right than done cheap.

On my most recent build, they recently fitted my headset and BB and I did the rest myself. I may have been able to do it myself if I'd tried, but that would involve buying all the tools etc, and for how often I'm going to do it, I'd rather pay £10 and a choccy orange.

I've also been known to let them do simple things like fitting mechs and indexing and stuff like that if I'm really busy.

Stuff like fork servicing and annual bike servicing gets done by the pros too.

lawman

i work in a bike shop so do it all the time most of the time tho i do just the easy stuff, building new bikes, bleeding brakes, fittting new pads, bb etc so its not too bad headsets are a bitch without a proper tool tho and recently got confused when my new brake adapter for my new forks came with a wire that shimano said held the bolt in :shock:

mrfmilo

I am 13 and just recently built a bike from scratch so am quite pleased Fitted BB, headset and all of the rest...

I do all maintenance and add stuff myself, only things I'd leave to the pros is wheels and fork service etc.

bails87

I tend to do everything myself. It's only been to the shop for brakes, which were a warranty issue, and a wheel rebuild. I've done a basic suspension service, and bled the brakes recently too. The only things I wouldn't do if building a bike from scratch would be the BB shell facing and headset fitting due to the expensive tools required.

Kiblams

I did everything on my build except for the headset and BB as I can't afford the tools I haven't got any experience of servicing bearings or bleeding brakes (I run BB5s) or build wheels, but I am sure I could get my head around it with an internet guide

I have pulled air Marzocchi and coil RS forks apart before for minor servicing which wasn't too difficult.

gaz047

the only things that i send it in for are shock services (which i'll be doing myself next time) wheel truing and new headsets (i believe the headset press is an expensive bit of kit!)

nicklouse

I take it to the Shop.

ride_whenever

Work in a bike shop, done everything except fork servicing, although i did do my lefty a while back. Oh and i've changed springs on boxxers.

mkf

do most work myself apart from headset install or rear shock service.
I like to know the jobs done right sometimes lbs employs real monkeys

bannedbiker

I'm starting to feel a bit big headed about my mechanical abilities here! The only stuff I havn't done myself is my shock service because i had it TFtuned, my new wheel build as I got such a good deal from my LBS and warrenty work. I normally do fork/shock service, build/true wheels, install headsets (I made a crude press for almost no cost!), everything!

The only time I've been beaten was when we got my mate's frame powder-coated and it bled into the BB threads. I was going to buy a set of BB taps as I thought's they'd be useful to own, then I discovered they're like £300! LBS did that one for me...!

ride_whenever

Tapping threads can be a pain, you ideally want really sharp tools.

I might teach myself how to do forks by stripping down my toras.

bannedbiker

ride_whenever wrote:

I might teach myself how to do forks by stripping down my toras.

When I got my rockhopper I picked it up one evening, rode it to work the next day, then used the workshop in work after hours to whip the spacer out and convert them to 120mm travel. If I fecked that up it was a 10 mile walk home with my bike on my shoulder. Thats a good way to teach yourself and make sure you get it right first time...!

(ps, i dont work in a bike shop)

Surf-Matt

My LBS - they charge £15 for labour, we charge £50+ for our work. And they have all the best tools. And don't get angry when they hurt themselves.

Of course I'll do basic stuff - brake bleed, tyre issue, general maintenance.

bomberesque

I do everything except (so far) overhauling suspension. I also do most of the spanner work on Mrs B's bikes (although she's getting better.

We have all sorts in our club, from those who really do do everything to one guy who struggled to change innertubes on his own. Generally there are 5 or 6 of us who are willing to help, but it's like the anecdote about giving someone a fish vs teaching them how to fish. We try to teach the guys who haven't done it before and the club has a set of tools available, but I for one wouldn't spend my time fixing someone else's bike unless they were there taking part and / or learning. and I charge in beer

fletch8928

I do most of my own repairs, fitting new bits and wheel truing. Saying that the lbs is usually fantastic and if I pop down on the bike to buy new bits they usually put it on for nawt. I have had the issue with buying tools, ie. £15 for tool, 20 mins putting new bit on. lbs does it for free!
Its been along time since I took my bike down to lbs purely for them to fix something.

MRadd

I do all my own work... Except for BB facing (seems common!).

I also seem to wind up on working on all the kids bikes in the area as well as the University team I train, bikes!

Hectic...

OFf to fettle...

bannedbiker

bomberesque wrote:

Ibut I for one wouldn't spend my time fixing someone else's bike unless they were there taking part and / or learning. and I charge in beer

Yeah, my mate who's useless does make an effort, and I wont do anything for him until he's tried for ages, got livid and just before he starts throwing things around!
Beer is a pretty standard currency for bike work aint it?! I'll accept tea and cakes from pretty ladies, but beer is more usual!

nicklouse

in the LBS the currency is cookies.

GHill

Do a lot of stuff myself, but go to the LBS for others. Wheel building being a main LBS example.

llamafarmer

I'm gradually learning new things myself and try to do as much as I can, but often it's cheaper to take it to the LBS and get it done than buy a tool or two, plus I know it'll be done right.

I've fitted things like front mech, disc brakes, cassette, chain etc. Next task is a freehub service on an old Deore hub and a wiper seal service on my Fox forks.

bannedbiker

llamafarmer wrote:

Ioften it's cheaper to take it to the LBS and get it done than buy a tool or two,

Yeah thats an odd one, some tools its well worth buying, like i'll probably get the tools to service my Hope hub (I always did my Mavic stuff, but the tools came with the wheels) as I'll do it enough times to make it worth while, but like i said earlier, BB taps are like £300 for a tool i might use once a year...

projectsome

Gear adjustments and punctures etc I do, cables etc LBS

bannedbiker

nicklouse wrote:

in the LBS the currency is cookies.

My mrs quite often ends up cleaning the workshop in my LBS while i'm talking to the guys (yeah ok, sometimes it is literally hours!) or giving them a hand. Always good to remind them of that when i'm buying something expensive...!

delcol

i pretty much do everything my self,, gears brakes (bleeds) headsets bbs..
the only one i not tried yet is fork service and shock service,,,
never tried wheel truing (but i never had to yet)
i lucky enough to have the tools @ home thanks to a rich brother....

Anonymous

i do everything myself but am a mechanic and machinist by trade (amongst other things) so i find it all very basic indeed.

i have serviced forks after reading a guide but never needed to service a shock so far, when it needs doing, there is every chance i will learn to do it then, it doesnt look difficult.

ive never built wheels before but i tend to prefer factory built wheels and i get the impression that building your own wheels from componants costs more. i can straighten and true wheels, service hubs and replace spokes though and have done so in the past.

i wish i could weld, then id make my own frames.

the rate at which i get through bikes it mae sense a while ago for me to buy all of the tools i need to do proper jobs but i had to draw the line at thread cutting and facing tools as for some reason, they cost a fortune.

butcher of bakersfield

Grew up fixing knackered old hand-downs, starting from around the age of 6. Building bikes up from spare parts. Done my first re-spray when I was about 10. So I'm quite happy getting the tools out. Find it quite strange when people are uncomfortable doing small jobs, but different lives I guess.

That doesn't mean I'm any good though. Bikes have changed a lot over the years, and being completely self-taught, you really miss out on the experience handed down from others. God bless the internet...

jpstar

^^ +1

Self taught mainly from a book, but I started out when I got the bike (2 years ago) taking it to the shop when it needed something doing to it and just standing and watching while they worked on it, learnt quickly. Only thing I tend to take it in for is a rim true or hub service, could probably do the hub's myself never tried though... Just don't have a wheel truing stand so I don't bother, if its nessecary just use the rim pads :oops:

allthegearnoidea

nicklouse wrote:

in the LBS the currency is cookies.

ours like doghnuts! gets you a cuppa tea lol!

always take something in if am going in for a natter or advice etc!

do all the work on the bike's myself, even goit brave and stripped down my forls last week! and impressed myself and rectified the leak on the Sids! Very pleased!!
but generally do the lot, if i get stuck ask on here!

certai air of satisfaction about riding a bike you built up yourself!!!

pk64

I'll give most things an attempt, if its possible I'll try it out on an old bike first to make sure I don't break anything on my nice bike! The problem is I hardly have any special tools so it costs me quite alot every time something new needs doing! Recently replaced/repaired all the basic stuff on a friends bike, that had been badly neglected.

The Big Cheese

With the exception of wheel truing/building I do all my own work, have not had to do a fork service, but when I do I shall do it myself, and RTFM!!!

Im fortunate enough to have all the right tools for the job which makes it a hell of a lot easier.