Who works on their own bikes and who takes them to the LBS?!

[brucelee]

Today we’re going to talk about the guy that owns this bike, the scourge of the professional bicycle mechanic. A man that doesn’t care what happens to his bike or his mother. A godless man who tips 4% and eats the last cookie without even asking.
The most uninterested man in the world.
He doesn’t always clean his bike, but when he does, he throws it in the ocean and waits for it to wash back to shore.

I want to make a case for working on your own bike. At least give it a try!
I jotted down some other reasons in a recent blog article, you can find it here if you feel like an informational laugh.

Keep the rubber side down! Cheers!

 

[Master50]

You found my ocean bike. I really have to oil that chain. I do all my own work including the wheels. Fortunately the carbon bike frames don't rust Now how am I going to get that baby home?

 

[ianbaldwin]

I do all of my own work. This includes building a bike from the frame up. I do take the frame it to get a Bottom bracket pressed in since I do not have a BB tool *yet.

Bikes are just wayyyy to easy to work on and spending $60.00 for a tune up. PLus in my town, if you want a tune up you have to drop the bike off for at least a day, and I need my bike everyday. So I do all my work pre and post rides to keep it fresh. Spray wd-40 on the chain immediately and wipe off as much road grime as I can so it does not rust. Then before I ride the next day just a bit of light lube or heavy lube if its raining.

But then again I have done engine swaps on vehicles so bikes, there is just nothing too them.

I even think that the lowest end componentries are awesome but just need a little more tuning.

In my opinion, shimano 105 and Sram Rival are on par with Dura Ace and RED in terms of responsiveness, its really the cassette and chain that do the shifting. Keep those new and change the Cable and that little piece of looped housing in the rear will keep you shifting like a champ.

Sorry for the ramble. I just love to work on bikes.

 

[avanti]

......................... Spray wd-40 on the chain immediately and wipe off as much road grime as I can so it does not rust. ..................

WD-40 a bad choice as a lubricant based on numerous siources including this one that mentions bike chains:
http://reprap.org/wiki/Lubrication

I suspect that it will immediately flow into bearing surfaces and degrade any existing lubricant.

 

[ianbaldwin]

WD-40 a bad choice as a lubricant based on numerous siources including this one that mentions bike chains:
http://reprap.org/wiki/Lubrication

I suspect that it will immediately flow into bearing surfaces and degrade any existing lubricant.

Should have been more specific. I spray it on ONLY immediatley after a ride. Because it deplaces the water, (Water Displacing-40... WD-40). Then I wipe it off as much as possible, it dries over night. Then when I am about to head out I put on a proper chain lube, light for dry days and a heavy for wet days. Being in Northwest Washington I almost always use a heavy lube.

 

[winkybiker]

Should have been more specific. I spray it on ONLY immediatley after a ride. Because it deplaces the water, (Water Displacing-40... WD-40). Then I wipe it off as much as possible, it dries over night. Then when I am about to head out I put on a proper chain lube, light for dry days and a heavy for wet days. Being in Northwest Washington I almost always use a heavy lube.

I WD40 rear and front derailleurs immediately after a wet ride and let it drip off outside while I'm changing my shoes. Just to displace the water and grunk. I (sometimes) wipe off the chain and (always) relube with chain oil. I live in Vancouver and ride year-round, so similar challenges.

Oh, and I never clean my bikes with detergent and water, let alone a pressure washer. I just wipe (frame, spokes and wheels) and brush (more complex bits like cassettes, brakes and derailleurs) off the dirt. I finish by using a spray on polish on the frame (cheap furniture polish is as good as anything). Sure, there are some areas that are hard to get to without disassembly, but they also don't really show. They get cleaned less frequently. I think water and detergent is just asking for rust in areas you can't get to.

 

[Chivers]

Weldtite TF2 & GT57 for general chain and cog clearing. Do most of my own bikes but take it to the shop for more tricky stuff that takes more time.

 

[ianbaldwin]

I live in Vancouver and ride year-round, so similar challenges.

I'm in Bellingham. Do you race the spring series?

 

[avanti]

WD-40 a bad choice as a lubricant based on numerous siources including this one that mentions bike chains:
http://reprap.org/wiki/Lubrication

I suspect that it will immediately flow into bearing surfaces and degrade any existing lubricant.

Since I posted this response I'v discovered the WD-40 now has a line of bicycle products
http://www.wd40bike.com/

In my post I was referring to the regular WD40 sold in hardware stores and the like.
The WD-40 bike line of products are OK to use (but have no experience yet).

 

[Boeing]

thought this might be a legit question until I opened the thread.

if this is a true question I have to say there are things I can not do well on my own. derailleurs never works out

only frequent shops with mechanics who can adjust on the fly or by the end of the day

I can understand a bike build being put into the rotation in a week but a simple adjustment come on.

there is a Jacks in Irvine I rolled up to with shifting issues developed on way home from a Friday morning ride. Asked if they could adjust and dudes wrote an invoice order and said next Monday after they got to the bike like the one pictured above. Like I didnt need a ride home of wasnt going to Ride the weekend???

and I never return to any shop that bashes product of any sort in front of customers or assumes everyone should buy a new bike or is bitterman you didnt buy your frame there or a mountain bike shop with the cling on dudes admiring their bikes and talking weight weenie jargon.

In short, it is really difficult to go into any shop these days unless I need tubes, Gu a bell for my kid or said adjustment.

 

[Master50]

my serious reply is I do all my own work except frame straightening, facing BB and Head Tubes and apparently my hanger tool does not work on my new MTB as the pivot hardware interferes. I used to build my own wheels but all my current wheels are factory builds. I do the repairs and will be rebuilding my Nucleon wheels soon
Wd-40 after wet rides first. Use it on chain and der and other pivot points compressed air following with and a good wipe. oil the day before, whenever you can.
Some lubes just don't work well if you put them on just before a ride. Actually this is just about the only place where WD-40 has any effectiveness as a lube. the first 10 or 20 minutes after you apply it. New products from WD-40 that are appropriate notwithstanding.

 

[kabirhart]

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[Boeing]

my serious reply is I do all my own work except frame straightening, facing BB and Head Tubes and apparently my hanger tool does not work on my new MTB as the pivot hardware interferes. I used to build my own wheels but all my current wheels are factory builds. I do the repairs and will be rebuilding my Nucleon wheels soon
Wd-40 after wet rides first. Use it on chain and der and other pivot points compressed air following with and a good wipe. oil the day before, whenever you can.
Some lubes just don't work well if you put them on just before a ride. Actually this is just about the only place where WD-40 has any effectiveness as a lube. the first 10 or 20 minutes after you apply it. New products from WD-40 that are appropriate notwithstanding.

Yea the things I cant do seem to add up. like headset press and removal. Worst is the race on the fork.. no need to learn to build a wheel anymore but truing I always screw up..

 

[42x16ss]

These days anything more time consuming than minor stuff like truing and tensioning, cabling, adjusting derraileurs etc gets done at the bike shop. I no longer have the tools and can't be bothered spending the time doing stuff like tapping and facing or reaming headsets anymore. If a few hours worth of minor stuff all needs to be done at once, I'll usually drop it off at the LBS too.

Unless it's my other half's bike - that always gets done by me. I'm not sure if it's because I'm OCD, or if she wants to be able to beat up the mechanic afterwards if something goes wrong

 

[Master50]

These days anything more time consuming than minor stuff like truing and tensioning, cabling, adjusting derraileurs etc gets done at the bike shop. I no longer have the tools and can't be bothered spending the time doing stuff like tapping and facing or reaming headsets anymore. If a few hours worth of minor stuff all needs to be done at once, I'll usually drop it off at the LBS too.

Unless it's my other half's bike - that always gets done by me. I'm not sure if it's because I'm OCD, or if she wants to be able to beat up the mechanic afterwards if something goes wrong

Umm Err I am afraid my wife's bikes get less TLC from me but I am also her main mechanic. She can barely fix a flat if I haven't already done that for her too many times

 

[Boeing]

Umm Err I am afraid my wife's bikes get less TLC from me but I am also her main mechanic. She can barely fix a flat if I haven't already done that for her too many times

Can I use this post in the "you know you are a cyclist when" thread??

as is when you can say with out hesitation "my wife's bikes" plural

word my brother especially when its clear you have more than her too

 

[42x16ss]

Umm Err I am afraid my wife's bikes get less TLC from me but I am also her main mechanic. She can barely fix a flat if I haven't already done that for her too many times

Haha! I constantly get flack from our friends for the fact that my bikes often look like they're barely running but hers always looks like it just came back from a major service

 

[CoughinNClimbin]

I'm the same, I do all apart from wheels and headtube/BB facing.

This is controversial, but I have to admit I've never come away from an LBS really happy with the work when I've had them do it. To give an example, I went to one last year to get my fork serviced on my MTB, only to pick the bike up and find they've lost the bolt from my stem, and stuffed in some other bolt they had, crossing the threads and ruining the stem. Great work!

 

[42x16ss]

I'm lucky in that my old LBS is owned by my old coach as a junior, so we know each other quite well. I also raced in his shop's kit for a few years so my bikes always get looked after well there.

 

[purcell]

I'm the same, I do all apart from wheels and headtube/BB facing.

This is controversial, but I have to admit I've never come away from an LBS really happy with the work when I've had them do it. To give an example, I went to one last year to get my fork serviced on my MTB, only to pick the bike up and find they've lost the bolt from my stem, and stuffed in some other bolt they had, crossing the threads and ruining the stem. Great work!

It doesn't ruin the stem, just retap it.


I do all of the work on all of my bikes, and the family's bikes.

 

[Boeing]

I'm lucky in that my old LBS is owned by my old coach as a junior, so we know each other quite well. I also raced in his shop's kit for a few years so my bikes always get looked after well there.

Knowing someone is key. I like the same person wrenching on my bikes too because if there is a question or adjustment its not an analysis "we'll have a look"...because most shop monkeys arent going to take your word for it.

 

[mambo1]

As a man who had a plant sprout in the BB area through not cleaning. I hoold my hands up and plead guilty!