Most difficult bike job you've done?

Bike-Rich

Hi all,
Still fairly new to bikes and only really done some very small jobs but I want to learn as much as possible. What would you say is one of the hardest bike jobs/repairs that you've come across? i.e what are the jobs that a new user should not attempt?

ricardo_smooth

complete air fork service and wheel truing.

benpinnick

+1 - Fork service (or shock) is hard, getting brakes bled nicely is fiddly, everything else is a doddle.

flappy8

Agreed don't try forks and shocks. Other things are generally fine (there are some good books out there) but its important to make sure you are using good quality and the correct tools, especially if you have a reasonable bike.

Mole wrenches, water pump pliers, adjustable spanners have no real good reason to be near a bike! I've seen people use an AJ on spokes - NO! But you might not find its worth investing in a bottom bracket spanner if you are only going to go near it every 2 years.

Wea have 7 bikes in our family and so getting some decent tools and a workstand is a gret investme

Anonymous

Basic sleeve service on rear shock is usually dead easy. Other shock servicing, front and back, I've not tried.

Wheel building seems way too much stress. Bad enough trying to true a wheel slightly out of true.

Other than that most is easy except when it's not because something is seized solid and/or you are missing the part or tool you thought you could do it with. So many times I've had a 10 minute job and it's taken a couple of hours due to one thing or another. Though often I'm double checking online and in downloaded manuals to make sure I'm doing it right.

And first time doing something when you're not sure how much force is required to free something. Over torqued cranks, BB & pedals ending up needing a breaker bar, penetrating oil, flame and some swearing, and then removing headset cups and finding out it needs a massive whack with the mallet and ends up firing the cup across the room and embedding itself into the wall!

Just mostly a case of learning what to do and practice. Once you have the tools and know what to do, most is simple.

gtd.

deadkenny wrote:

Basic sleeve service on rear shock is usually dead easy. Other shock servicing, front and back, I've not tried.

Wheel building seems way too much stress. Bad enough trying to true a wheel slightly out of true.

Shock and fork rebuilds are fairly simple if you have the tools/service manuals/consumables etc.

I find wheel building really relaxing. Brake bleeding can occasionally be a pain in the arse but usually fine.

I'm mechanically minded though. I'm good at just taking stuff apart, figuring what is broken/why its broken then fixing and modifying it and rebuilding it it what I do at work

bails87

I don't think fork services are very difficult. There aren't that many parts inside, they all go in and out in one direction, the manufacturers (Rockshox anyway) provide clear tech manuals with photos and diagrams. Just follow it logically and you'll be fine.

Wheel truing is probably the trickiest, seeing as so much of it is feel and interpretation, rather than the "bolt this on to 5nm" absolute-ness of most other jobs. I've just bought Roger Musson's (www.wheelpro.co.uk) e-book on wheel building with a view to building my own at some point, so hopefully that'll clear it up.

gtd.

A good spoke key is handy after rounding out a cyclo one and buying one at my lbs which was supposed to be the same as a red park one but was just too big, I got a Park Master Mechanic Spoke Wrench really nice to use looks like a big wing nut

Northwind

Full service of my DHX was a pain, but not really difficult, just fiddly. TBH bikes are pretty simple machines

Changing the length of my old OEM-spec Revelations was fiddly just because they were different inside to any of the Rockshox manuals- ended up with 3 different service guides just following the best match for each part of the process. It did work fine but I never was sure it was all correct.

jay12

marzocchi forks are very easy to service, especially the older ones. just a matter of taking your time and reading through the manual again and again so you don't screw anything up.

as a hardtail rider i've not serviced a rear shok yet, doesn't look THAT hard.

brakes are pretty easy to bleed as well and wheel builidng and truing just takes patience and a lot of practise.

the worst thing is when something is stuck or rounded off, that usually takes away a lot of your time, top tip: use a lot of grease and don't over tighten parts, makes a world of a difference

The Rookie

The most difficult job at the time I did it was building a new bike from just a frame, having not put a spanner on a bike since my old Raleigh Hustler when I was at Uni, although now it would be a doddle, as I've built 6 more....not built a wheel yet, but bleeding brakes is easy really, just like a car only different (if that makes sense!)

Simon

twonks

Nothing on a bike is difficult if you are mechanically minded and can follow instructions.

Most hard jobs don't start off that way, but come about because the person concerned doesn't have the right kit or tools. This then leads to rounding off, getting things stuck, damaging components etc etc.

Wheel building is possibly the only exeption to this as a fair degree of knowledge and skill is needed to make a light strong wheel. It can be done by novices following instructions, but I find anything more than a true is best left to those that do it all the time - mainly because it takes me too much time and costs a relatively small amount for a shop to sort.

Northwind

Aye, I'd agree with that on wheels. I lace my own then get the skilled part done by a skilled man Only costs me a tenner an end, my time's more valuable than that and he gets better results than I do.

supersonic

A lot of people get stuck with compatibility. For me is always the easiset of jobs that go wrong!

bennett_346

Northwind wrote:

Changing the length of my old OEM-spec Revelations was fiddly just because they were different inside to any of the Rockshox manuals- ended up with 3 different service guides just following the best match for each part of the process. It did work fine but I never was sure it was all correct.

Im about to change the length of my OEM Revs, did you just use the manuals on srams site and adapt where things were different? Im planning on using that and the videos sram have on youtube and maybe filming as i go so if things go pear shaped i can just watch the video and go in reverse.

I don't even know if they have the spacer inside but being 140mm i'd imagine they have one in as theyre normally 150. It would seem weird to pay extra to produce ones with shorter stanchions etc just for one bike when they could bulk buy the normal 150s and spacer them down.

stubs

Getting a corroded seatpost out of a frame. Took some thinking had to resist the urge to get the heavy artillery out. Got it in the end just had to take me time and go for a walk whenever the urge to smash everything to scrap with a lump hammer was getting strong.

nicklouse

bennett_346 wrote:

Northwind wrote:

Changing the length of my old OEM-spec Revelations was fiddly just because they were different inside to any of the Rockshox manuals- ended up with 3 different service guides just following the best match for each part of the process. It did work fine but I never was sure it was all correct.

Im about to change the length of my OEM Revs, did you just use the manuals on srams site and adapt where things were different? Im planning on using that and the videos sram have on youtube and maybe filming as i go so if things go pear shaped i can just watch the video and go in reverse.

I don't even know if they have the spacer inside but being 140mm i'd imagine they have one in as theyre normally 150. It would seem weird to pay extra to produce ones with shorter stanchions etc just for one bike when they could bulk buy the normal 150s and spacer them down.

Also download the manual for the recons. OE revs and reba often had recon internals.

bennett_346

nicklouse wrote:

bennett_346 wrote:

Northwind wrote:

Changing the length of my old OEM-spec Revelations was fiddly just because they were different inside to any of the Rockshox manuals- ended up with 3 different service guides just following the best match for each part of the process. It did work fine but I never was sure it was all correct.

Im about to change the length of my OEM Revs, did you just use the manuals on srams site and adapt where things were different? Im planning on using that and the videos sram have on youtube and maybe filming as i go so if things go pear shaped i can just watch the video and go in reverse.

I don't even know if they have the spacer inside but being 140mm i'd imagine they have one in as theyre normally 150. It would seem weird to pay extra to produce ones with shorter stanchions etc just for one bike when they could bulk buy the normal 150s and spacer them down.

Also download the manual for the recons. OE revs and reba often had recon internals.

Was there a dual air recon? I'm fairly sure these are definately Rev internal or maybe reba internals at a push but good call anyway.

nicklouse

Nope. But you can still find pistons etc are recon.

Northwind

bennett_346 wrote:

Im about to change the length of my OEM Revs, did you just use the manuals on srams site and adapt where things were different? Im planning on using that and the videos sram have on youtube and maybe filming as i go so if things go pear shaped i can just watch the video and go in reverse.

I don't even know if they have the spacer inside but being 140mm i'd imagine they have one in as theyre normally 150. It would seem weird to pay extra to produce ones with shorter stanchions etc just for one bike when they could bulk buy the normal 150s and spacer them down.

Aye, that's about the long and short of it... As for the length, there's been some contradictory reports on that but mine came with the all-travel spacers in, as you say it doesn't make much sense for them to make different lengths of fork.

bennett_346

Right thanks guys, i'll take a look at the recon and reba manuals to see if there's crossover too.

The Northern Monkey

Indexing a SRAM x9 10sp rear mech. They should all be put in the bin for the sake of mankind.

bennett_346

The Northern Monkey wrote:

Indexing a SRAM x9 10sp rear mech. They should all be put in the bin for the sake of mankind.

Never had an easier mech to index personally, what went wrong with yours?

cooldad

Have you ever tried doing anything with massive gorilla hands?

bennett_346

I have, and i've tried buying gloves for them too, apparently i don't fit Fox's XL size!

oodboo

Fitting mudguards to my disc equipped commuter bike. A week later Genesis put up some good info on their site that would have made the job a lot easier with better results.

Anonymous

The Northern Monkey wrote:

Indexing a SRAM x9 10sp rear mech. They should all be put in the bin for the sake of mankind.

Think I answered that on twitter too . As I said, no problems with them for me, and quite a relief compared to the SLX stuff I had before. Good definite shifting and easiest to index so far, same with the X0 10sp on the other bike.

But yeah, gorilla hands, but then Kenny has mits

Have to admit I've not had XT/XTR so no idea how they are.

The Northern Monkey

hehehehehe :twisted:

me and SRAM gearing just don't get on.. never have!

Frinstance - Took my wheel out yesterday after a ride, the mech sprung round to face the wrong way and twisted the chain for no apparent reason, had to remove the chain and twist the mech back... all is fine again now

hate it, hate it, hate it, hate it, hate it, hate it, hate it, hate it, hate it, hate it, hate it, hate it, hate it, hate it.

stubs

The Northern Monkey wrote:

hate it, hate it, hate it, hate it, hate it, hate it, hate it, hate it, hate it, hate it, hate it, hate it, hate it, hate it.

+ 1 gazillion to the power of infinity

gtd.

come to think of it one thing I hate... fixing old BSOs - setting up canti brakes often with buckled wheels and centralising the rear wheel in a horizontal drop out

mrmonkfinger

wheel building, needs a lot of "feel" to get right

everything else is cake

mind you, I've not done a fork/shock service (yet), although I do have an old manitou axel with a non-functioning lockout that needs attention.



interesting point about the revalations, how tricky are they to pull apart?