[kil0ran]

As a fairly experienced home mechanic who also does bike stuff for friends and family I’m wondering, what are the jobs you hate doing and always end up getting a mate to do/taking it to your LBS?

Being winter season (although it’s 16 degrees today so I was out in full summer kit) I’ve done a few mudguard installs recently which I find quite therapeutic. I also like doing bar tape, as long as I get to choose what I’m wrapping. The only stuff that goes to my LBS is cutting fork steerers and chasing and facing, although that’s more down to insurance and the tools being very expensive.

Topic

[IanMSpencer]

Tensioning spokes is fine if

Tensioning spokes is fine if the rim isn’t damaged, but as soon as you damage the rim, you end up with uneven tension to try and compensate for the rim not being true. So if you go round trying to even up tension (and some wheel manufacturers claim to aim for even tension over absolute true wheel, IIRC) you can still end up with rubbing rims on rim brakes.

My theory was get an even tension and then tweak for wobble. Getting reasonably even tension and no wobble is fine on a new wheel, rarely possible on a repair. Then it is a question of deciding whether the over-tensioned and undertensioned spokes are so far out of wack that the wheel is not going to survive. 

[hawkinspeter]

I’m with Xenophon2 on wheel

I’m with Xenophon2 on wheel truing/building. Just take your time and make small changes to each spoke and it’s like you’re politely encouraging the wheel to be round.

[kil0ran]

I like wheel work but it’s
I like wheel work but it’s one of those skills that’s both art and practice. You need to do a lot and do it frequently otherwise it’s too time consuming. A bit like setting up a recent Shimano front mech, really fiddly the first time (even my LBS agreed) but by the third or fourth time it’s easier than the older style

[Rendel Harris]

Woldsman wrote:

The bike shop only charged £45 so I couldn’t grumble at that. 

That’s a result – tell me you don’t live in London without telling me you don’t live in London…

[Woldsman]

I think I did exactly that

Rendel Harris wrote:

Woldsman wrote:

I did take in my disc braked MTB for new pads as I have no tools for hydraulic disc brakes.  

You shouldn’t need any to replace the pads, exactly the same as mechanical (or is for all models I know). Just be careful that you don’t accidentally (or absentmindedly, as I once did) squeeze the lever when the pads are out or you risk popping a piston and getting brake fluid everywhere.

I think I did exactly that (one brake lever almost touched the bar – and the other led to head turning squealing from the rotor).  But it was worse than that as the rear caliper had to be replaced as well on this neglected bike, and various shifter bits had seized up :-/

The bike shop only charged £45 so I couldn’t grumble at that. Should have had it fixed earlier, really.  

[Rendel Harris]

Woldsman wrote:

I did take in my disc braked MTB for new pads as I have no tools for hydraulic disc brakes.  

You shouldn’t need any to replace the pads, exactly the same as mechanical (or is for all models I know). Just be careful that you don’t accidentally (or absentmindedly, as I once did) squeeze the lever when the pads are out or you risk popping a piston and getting brake fluid everywhere.

[Woldsman]

I wouldn’t say a loathe any

I wouldn’t say a loathe any particular bike job, but whenever I’ve wanted wheel bearings adjusting/replacing I’ve taken them in to a shop.  Similarly, I don’t like tinkering about with wheel truing either.  It seems wheels are a bit of a blind spot for me.  

I did take in my disc braked MTB for new pads as I have no tools for hydraulic disc brakes.  

Re mudguards I’ve found the SKS Longboards (model 11068 *new version*) to be a relevation and with decent bolt croppers I’ve found fitting them to be a very satisfying job.  I’ve done two pairs now with another planned this winter.  

Awavey wrote:

… for me the bike job I hate the most, its digging out all the ali pickup out of the rim blocks after the roads have started getting a bit wet and gritty, because its a PITA, you have to dismantle everything to do it, the dirt gets everywhere, and you never quite get the block alignment back, and you know a week or twos rides later, youll be doing the same job again.

My cleaning method is typically to get the bike in a seat post clamp stand, pop the wheels out then winkle out any slivers of aluminum. 

Lately I’ve slipped out the shoes, picked out the flecks of metal, abraided the surface with a file and reinserted. 

But now I’m thinking of leaving the wheels in situ.  I’ll slide out the blocks and fit a new or similarly reconditioned pair, then clean up the replaced shoes as above for next time.  Does that sound like a plan?  

[Xenophon2]

The smaller the wheel

The smaller the wheel diameter, the larger the plane of acceptable tension.  The more crosses, the stronger (within reason).  Most risky are 24-spoke radial wheels, wouldn’t touch those as the margin becomes very thin.  When I see some of the portly guys riding those I think they don’t know how close to disaster they can come.

But I never build wheels for others, don’t think my solicitor would agree.

 

[Awavey]

we do what with the spokes

we do what with the spokes now… ?  Ive never tensioned a spoke in my life, might explain why my wheel is a bit wobbly thesedays, but Im not touching it.

for me the bike job I hate the most, its digging out all the ali pickup out of the rim blocks after the roads have started getting a bit wet and gritty, because its a PITA, you have to dismantle everything to do it, the dirt gets everywhere, and you never quite get the block alignment back, and you know a week or twos rides later, youll be doing the same job again.

[Dnnnnnn]

Think it depends a lot on how

Think it depends a lot on how many spokes you have – 32 and 36 spoke wheels are pretty forgiving but my efforts with 20 or 24 have been less successful.

[David9694]

Ping and pong 

Ping and pong 

[Xenophon2]

Exactly.  However,

Exactly.  However, frustrating though it is, I also find it strangely therapeutic.  

What I don’t like are headset bearing changes and generally any job for which I don’t have EXACTLY the right tool do do it properly.  I’ve learned the hard way that a little improvisation usually ends in huge frustration and even bigger costs.

 

[Rendel Harris]

I can tension and replace

I can tension and replace them, with a tension meter it’s just fiddly rather than difficult. I’d love to be at the level of the LBS guys who just do it by ear though!

[ktache]

Anything to do with spokes,

Anything to do with spokes, that’s a job for the LBS. Even there most novice mechanic will possess more skill in this than I will acquire.

[Rendel Harris]

Tensioning spokes, I don’t

Tensioning spokes, I don’t know if anyone else finds this but for me it’s like trying to tune my 12 string guitar in that I can go all round the wheel with the tension meter and spoke key getting every single one perfect then when I recheck the one I started with it’s off again…

[Author]

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