What maintenance do you still dread?
I've managed to change many of the bits on my hybrid bike (tyres, tubes, brakes rotors, disks, seatpost, saddle, pedals, etc). I'm also very comfortable with tuning the gears on both bikes so they are silky smooth (even smoother than my LBS could do!). I've got a good range of bike tools that help with all of the above.
However, there's still a couple of elementary maintenance jobs that I dread:
1. Removing the rear wheel - I avoid doing this as I can never put it back on easily! I've watched YouTube videos on how to do this literally dozens of times but I still panic at the thought of removing my rear wheel.
2. Putting a new chain on. I'm still getting my LBS to do this for me. I have chain breaker tool and some cheap chains to practice on, but I still haven't got the confidence to replace the chains on my bikes.
What things do you wish you could do that are considered fairly basic tasks?
However, there's still a couple of elementary maintenance jobs that I dread:
1. Removing the rear wheel - I avoid doing this as I can never put it back on easily! I've watched YouTube videos on how to do this literally dozens of times but I still panic at the thought of removing my rear wheel.
2. Putting a new chain on. I'm still getting my LBS to do this for me. I have chain breaker tool and some cheap chains to practice on, but I still haven't got the confidence to replace the chains on my bikes.
What things do you wish you could do that are considered fairly basic tasks?
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Changing internal cables. Only because you have to disconnect everything. Unwrap bar tape etc. You end up doing about 4 extra jobs just to do it. Apart from that, everything else is a joy to do. And that isn't sarcasm. I love doing bike maintenance.
As for your issues. These are 2 jobs you really need to get your head around. A puncture or a snapped chain on a ride is a common occurance. Get some reusable bike links so you can break your chain easier and if removing the rear wheel is problematic try making sure its always on the smallest cog at the rear and remove the quick release spanner completely. This will make things a bit easier.0 -
Bar tape! And anything involving aluminium spoke nipples.0
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try changing the headset bearings on a Canyon Speedmax.......... Start by completely dismantling the rear brake and it just gets worse from then on.0
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Anything at all with hydraulic brakes
Everytime I do anything from change pads, to bleeding to even pushing a piston back in after inadvertently pulling the lever whilst the wheel is off results in another 2 months of fettling with them to get them working again0 -
Adjusting the FD. Whenever the shifting isn't that smooth I'll have a crack at adjusting it and invariably will end up making things worse0
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japiers wrote:Adjusting the FD. Whenever the shifting isn't that smooth I'll have a crack at adjusting it and invariably will end up making things worse
This! Other things the OP mentions like changing the rear wheel, changing the chain, no problem. Bar tape - easy.
Sorting that damn front mech out, damn near impossible. So many times I've tried to make adjustments to stop a very slight rub in some gears and ended up being stuck in the little ring or the chain falling off every shift.0 -
Nothing so far, and I've built / rebuilt three bikes. But then again none of them have any internal cables or disc brakes!
In fact I get a bit restless when there's nothing needing fettling; I often start out just intending to wipe down and lube the chain, but get distracted and before I know it the cassette's off and in bits being cleaned, the freehub's removed and being lubed, and the rear axle and bearings are out for a clean, regrease and adjustment.0 -
markhewitt1978 wrote:japiers wrote:Adjusting the FD. Whenever the shifting isn't that smooth I'll have a crack at adjusting it and invariably will end up making things worse
This! Other things the OP mentions like changing the rear wheel, changing the chain, no problem. Bar tape - easy.
Sorting that damn front mech out, damn near impossible. So many times I've tried to make adjustments to stop a very slight rub in some gears and ended up being stuck in the little ring or the chain falling off every shift.
The night before Ride London in 2013 I decided to 'optimise' my front shifting. An hour (and much swearing) later I was pretty sure I wouldn't be able to ride. An hour after that it was only slightly worse than when I started but was good enough to get me round.
Have since built a bike from scratch and got the front mech working really well but if it ever goes out of alignment I'd still be tempted to take it in to get someone else to sort it0 -
keef66 wrote:Nothing so far, and I've built / rebuilt three bikes. But then again none of them have any internal cables or disc brakes!
In fact I get a bit restless when there's nothing needing fettling; I often start out just intending to wipe down and lube the chain, but get distracted and before I know it the cassette's off and in bits being cleaned, the freehub's removed and being lubed, and the rear axle and bearings are out for a clean, regrease and adjustment.
Well - if you've got a few spare minutes (or hours) and want to do some fettling ... I have a few bikes that need some attention ...
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Indexing the rear derailleur. Always seem to be able to quickly get it shifting cleanly in to all but one gear (which can be anywhere across the range) and any attempts to adjust to get the last one in results in that one working and the other 8/9/10 buggering up.0
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japiers wrote:markhewitt1978 wrote:japiers wrote:Adjusting the FD. Whenever the shifting isn't that smooth I'll have a crack at adjusting it and invariably will end up making things worse
This! Other things the OP mentions like changing the rear wheel, changing the chain, no problem. Bar tape - easy.
Sorting that damn front mech out, damn near impossible. So many times I've tried to make adjustments to stop a very slight rub in some gears and ended up being stuck in the little ring or the chain falling off every shift.
The night before Ride London in 2013 I decided to 'optimise' my front shifting. An hour (and much swearing) later I was pretty sure I wouldn't be able to ride. An hour after that it was only slightly worse than when I started but was good enough to get me round.
Have since built a bike from scratch and got the front mech working really well but if it ever goes out of alignment I'd still be tempted to take it in to get someone else to sort it
Whilst I'm not particularly fazed by any maintenance I'm well aware of murphys law - the bit that states that when under time pressure, the 5 minute job will take in excess of 3 hours and involve parts &/or tools not in your posession (either not purchased or not where you left them) - thus the maintenance work I've undertaken in prep for the RL this year has been done and the bike has been road tested. All I will do now is give the frame a clean and possibly some lube on the chain.0 -
Hahaha that Ride London story sounds like the sort of thing I do. Before I finally taught myself how to index gears I would stupidly decide to have a fettle the night before a race and then end up with a single speed!! Lol0
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all of it! Luckily I get bikes serviced for free!Madone 4.9 2014
Jeffsy 27.5 20180 -
Headsets headsets headsets , a quick trawl of bike forums shows the first angst is actually sourcing the correct bearings.
I have this bike XYZYZ whats the correct bearings for it... and if you go to a bike shop, you'll probably get someone looking cross eyed at you back. I mean who the hell actually makes sense of this?
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Man Of Lard wrote:Indexing the rear derailleur. Always seem to be able to quickly get it shifting cleanly in to all but one gear (which can be anywhere across the range) and any attempts to adjust to get the last one in results in that one working and the other 8/9/10 buggering up.
I don't think I've ever been able to "adjust" an indexed derailleur, I always just go back to the start and index it as if I was setting it up from new. And I was surprisingly successful recently with a 3x front derailleur set up on a 2x crankset with about a thumb gap between the FD and the big chainring.Specialized Roubaix Elite 2015
XM-057 rigid 29er0 -
Adjusting brakes on my TT bike - whoever designed TRP TTV brakes needs a stern talking to. The rear brake can only really be accessed by removing the chainrings - in order for the pads not to foul the rear wheel they need to be so far away that the brake now only works in an advisory capacity. Unfortunately the brake cable is slightly frayed as well so I can't tighten it. Obviously, I should replace the cable but frankly the thought of that fills me with dread as it's all internally cabled right up to the bars.
Also, they have a spring adjustment screw which, if you move it a quarter turn too far in either direction, collapses the entire brake arm meaning you have to completely dismantle and rebuild it. I'm actually getting angry thinking about it. Rebuilt the sodding thing three times the other night and still had to adjust it yesterday. I'm actually thinking of getting a new frame, just so I don't have to deal with those brakes again.
Other than that... everything else is fine. Other than gluing and fitting Continental tubulars. That's a horrible job as they're a really tight fit and just don't stretch.0 -
Internal cablesFFS! Harden up and grow a pair
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Truing wheels is the only thing I pay someone to do.
I've built my last three MTBs(and stripped and rebuilt two of them)and last road bike from scratch and everything is pretty easy.
I used to think gear indexing was a dark art but decided to make myself sort it and now I find it easy.
At some point I'm going to do the same with wheel truing!0 -
JGSI wrote:Headsets headsets headsets , a quick trawl of bike forums shows the first angst is actually sourcing the correct bearings.
I have this bike XYZYZ whats the correct bearings for it... and if you go to a bike shop, you'll probably get someone looking cross eyed at you back. I mean who the hell actually makes sense of this?
All pretty logical.0
