Getting to Know You...Question #9...

BiknBen

Well-Known Member
How bike savvy are you?

Are you a DIY home wrench or do you take it to the shop? For those that can do some of their own bike maintenance, where do you draw the line? Describe your home wrenching setup if you have one.
 

MEAN IRISH GUY

Horse-faced space dog
nowhere near as savy as i wish i was, but im learning. anytime i have my bike being worked on i like to watch whats going on. and take some mental notes. hopefully in a couple of years ill be able to work on my own stuff.
 

walter

Fourth Party
I have the mechanical ability of a watermelon. Actually I really am not that patient of a person so if it doesnt come out right the first time it usually gets fired off the wall.

That being said, I can handle flats and the easy stuff like swapping bars, seats, pedals, etc. When it comes to drivetrain, or anything with cables I'm SOL.
 

Mare

Well-Known Member
I am in the process of learning to do everything myself. I can't see spending money on things that I can do - that goes for bikes, cars, anything around the house, etc.

That's why now whenever I do anything to my bikes, I will post here and get all of your expert opinions.

So uhh...who wants to help me fix my back up lights on my car?
 

Mare

Well-Known Member
I have the mechanical ability of a watermelon. Actually I really am not that patient of a person so if it doesnt come out right the first time it usually gets fired off the wall.

That being said, I can handle flats and the easy stuff like swapping bars, seats, pedals, etc. When it comes to drivetrain, or anything with cables I'm SOL.

As soon as I learn all this junk, I will help you out. Apparently I have all the tools (I learned that when I converted my SS), I just need to learn what they are for.
 

ArmyOfNone

Well-Known Member
When I first started riding it seemed as if every ride i went out on something broke. I would be in and out of the shop just about everyday. During the heat of the summer the shop can get quit excting, so instead of bugging the guys to work on my bike, I would throw it in the stand and do it myself.

So I know how to troubleshoot a bunch of different areas but it usually requires J or Chris to recheck my work before leaving the shop. Why not have them do it in the first place? :D I enjoy it and it gives me more of an excuse to spend time at the shop. Who doesnt want to spend more time there?
 

Wobbegong

Well-Known Member
I have a work stand, wheel truing stand and various tools. I'm in the process of building up my new road bike right now, thanks Jim V. !

If I have something strange happen, I rely on J and Chris at Halters, otherwise I take care of it.

After taking the Park Tool School class, I feel pretty confident about what I'm doing. I love my Park Blue Book, I always refer to that.
 

Frank

Sasquatch
I started by tinkering with my bikes, doing the adjustments, and building up my supply of the special tools. In 2001 I raced DH a lot and had to repair all the "damage" quickly before the next race. Then I had to learn how to work on forks, anyone who had a 2001 Boxxer knows what I mean. Now I have built wheels, bikes, serviced all of my forks, and the only thing I have not tackled is a rear shock. My Turner has an RP23 on it so I will soon jump into that.
 

Fogerson

Former Resident Nerd
I do everything on my bikes except build/mess with wheels. 'Just a skill set I've never taken the time to learn.

I have a park stand on a nice 10x10 pad. I have a rolling bench for all my tools and wire shelves to throw all my spare parts on.
 

Engignar

New Member
I do all the work myself except for wheel truing. I have learned most of it through trial and error, and have gotten pretty good at it now. I still need to rebuild my rear shock...and after doing my fork the compression damping has not been the same. I'll try again.

As to work space, I have a big table in my garage dedicated to it with a good compliment of tools. A stand is in the cards for Xmas me thinks. I break stuff way too often to use a shop.
 

Norm

Mayor McCheese
Team MTBNJ Halter's
I have taken apart and rebuilt all those bikes listed in question #8 with the exception of the 2 bikes I built and the Niner, which I haven't had to do much with. I let Jay/Chris play with that, because I want to see what they do and if I'm screwing anything up.

I have built up a POS mtb wheel before using old spokes. It was just for the around town beater bike, and it's fine. I true my own wheels.

I have never built real wheels. I don't know if I trust myself yet. I also have never taken apart a suspension fork. I have rebuilt the rear shock, which is cake.

I have a workbench downstairs with about 40,000 little pieces of junk on it. I have a set of Park tools, and a truing stand. I have a homemade bike stand.
 

RyanW

Active Member
That being said, I can handle flats and the easy stuff like swapping bars, seats, pedals, etc. When it comes to drivetrain, or anything with cables I'm SOL.

I'm in the same boat although i do consider myself handy. When it comes to working on bikes i seem to be jinxed, anything that can wrong (when working on it) WILL go wrong!
 

clarkenstein

JORBA Board Member/Chapter Leader
JORBA.ORG
i have built my bike from the frame up. and have built down a few to SS. i have done everything but weld a frame and build wheels... wheel building is next. normally tho, to save on effort and having to clean up my living room, i'll drop off my ride at my LBS for them to tweak/fix stuff for me.

i will say one thing that i remember while i was learning stuff - cutting my first fork steer tube was a never-racking committment.
 

tommyjay

Not-So-Venerable Asshat
I make basic adjustments (drivetrain, brake) and handle easy repairs and replacements (bars, stem, chainrings, cassette, chain, dearailleurs, etc.)

I have never: built or trued a wheel, run cables, bled a hydraulic brake system, serviced FS frame bearings, or taken apart a crank/bb set-up (among other things - could probably fill a book with things I haven't worked on).

In most cases, whatever I attempt beyond the obvious "gimmies" can be done better, faster, and lead to results that inspire more confidence when done at Halter's.
 

FFT

Gay & Stuffy
Have never built a wheel. But have homemade tools like race setter and cup press, repaired a chainguide with parts from a snow plow - If that counts for anything.:confused:
 

lmckee

New Member
I have the mechanical ability of a watermelon. Actually I really am not that patient of a person so if it doesnt come out right the first time it usually gets fired off the wall.

That being said, I can handle flats and the easy stuff like swapping bars, seats, pedals, etc. When it comes to drivetrain, or anything with cables I'm SOL.

You just described me exactly. Especially the "if it doesnt come out right the first time it usually gets fired off the wall" part. Lucky for me I have a rad friend (743power) that puts up with my shit and is always willing to work on my pile.
 

f2f4

New Member
I'm decently good at doing my own maintenance. I own a nice stand and a substantial compliment of tools and chemicals. Stuff like messing with the drivetrain (bottom bracket, bearings, cassette) or ANYTHING involving fork internals, I'll take it to my shop for. Tuning/shifting/brake adjustments are pretty easy so I just do that. I can true/work on my own wheels, up to a point.

I used to know next to nothing about bikes, until I was deployed in the middle east with only a multitool, a leatherman, and some White Lightning. A bunch of guys here sent me some cool stuff to get me going. We had a bunch of department store cheapo bikes on base to ride around for recreation + transport, and they were really broken down. When I wasn't on the flightline 14 hrs a day doing my real job, I was the "head expeditionary bike mechanic."
I got good real quick. :D
 
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NJ-XC-Justin

KY-DH-Freddy
I do everything with my crankset, drivetrain and random parts (stems, saddles, headsets etc). What I havent done (yet) is anything too indepth with wheels or hubs (building, replacing spokes, regreasing hubs) or bleeding hydro brakes. I know most of it isn't too hard but when you drop decent coin on something, sometimes its easier to give it to a pro.

the two most involved things i've done are swapping all parts from one frame to another and changing the travel on my reba, which didn't require the complete dissasembly of the fork but some step-by-step work and new fluids and such. sure it's listed as as "20-minute job" by someone, but it was new territory for me.
 

don

Well-Known Member
I've done:

- built and true wheels
- press and pop out headsets (with both homemade tools and the proper Park tools)
- cut plenty of bars, posts, & steerer tubes
- tapped handlebars to fit Tree barend caps
- filed and dremel'd plenty of parts that were supposed to fit
- stripped a few frames of paint to prep for powder coating (royal PITA!)
- designed a 26" DJ frame using a 2D CAD program and had Brew fabricate for me
- designed some 3" rise steel bars using the same 2D CAD program and had Solid Bikes in CA make me a couple batches
- with the same frame I tried to come up with a tensioning setup, prepped it and had my buddy tig weld it for me. It didn't work well so I ground it down.
- Lowered Marz forks making my own spacers out of old handlebars or other old round stock. With the same Marz fork I ground down the disc tabs
- prepped a RockShox fork steerer to lengthen it to work on a frame with a talled HT. It was steel and I had the piece I originally cut. Had a shop in Eatontown TIG weld it for me.

Stuff I need to work on:
- hydro brakes - need to learn how.
- I can get rear derailuerers to work fine but my one mulitspeed bike skips occasionally. I've just been to lazy to dial it in.
- I really really want to build my own frame. At the very least just getting the angles figured out and tubes prepped and have someone do the TIG.
 
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