Maintenance Seminars

[lcharlton]

I can perform basic maintenance (break a chain, change a tire, adjust a derailleur) without unduly embarassing myself, but am tired of being held hostage by my local bike shop for weeks while they perform fairly simple repairs that I can't do myself. Can anyone recommend a place in the New Haven, CT area that offers courses in basic/intermediate bicycle mechanics/maintenance? Much obliged.

[Bill Bove]

Pick up Bicycling Magizines book on repairs, what ever they call it now. And practice on an older bike just remember, there isn't much you can break that can't be fixed.

[SoCalSteve]

if you can replace a chain, adjust a derauiller and change a tire...what more would you like to do?

There are 3 great books on cycling maintenance. The books and a few tools, and you are set to go. Oh yeah, www.Parktools.com is a great source as well.

Zinn and art of road bike maintenance

Big Blue Book-Park Tools

Barnett manual.

Good luck!

Steve

[700 x 23c]

can you repair a chain on the road? I just figure if I snap a chain I am screwed! Is repairing a chain a basic skill one should have? I never take my chain apart to clean it, so I have no skills regarding chains.

[SoCalSteve]

Yes, they can be fixed on the road.

And, you do not have to take a chain apart to clean it. There are many fine tools made that help scrub a chain while it is still on the bike.

Steve

PS: I have probably ridden 15 to 20K miles in my life and have never broken a chain...yet, I have the tools and parts in my saddle bag, just in case.

[Too Tall]

Pop for Barnett's. A really good friend gave it to me for my birthday :) It is invaluable.

[lcharlton]

OK, I ordered a few of the books and will go it alone. To answer the question about what I have left to learn given the rudimentary skills I already have: the issue first arose because I was having a terrible problem with my indexing. The bike was ghost shifting, rubbing, rattling and I was riding bilthely down the road sounding less and less like I knew what I was doing (which bar is set pretty low to begin so I couldn't afford to let the appearance deteriorate). After trying everything I could think of (or find on the web) in terms of adjustment, the chain finally did me a favor by breaking. I replaced it and voila, problem solved. The chain was not something I had even looked at, but one of the plates had worked loose and was causing me this misery for weeks. Every bike shop I had taken it to wanted to keep it for at least a week for what I knew was going to be a ten-minute repair. So...I decided to learn more and be more independent, as any self-respecting woman of the 00's should.

Re a previous post: what on-bike chain cleaning tool do you recommend? Most that I've used don't do a very good job. I'd be happy to find one that does.

[SoCalSteve]

ParkTools.com is an amazing wealth of information and their tools can be bought on ebay or from mail order houses on the net, etc....

I am sure there are many opinions on cleaning chains...

I do not take the chain off the bike. I use one of those chain cleaner tools that wraps around the chain and uses degreaser. Park Tools makes a really nice one. Then I take lots of water with a spary nozzle to really get in between the cogs of the chain. This seems to work really well for me.

The ultimate way is to break the chain, put it in a solution of degreaser in a bucket, then wash off the degreaser.

[Dekonick]

One step further -

Put chain in an old water bottle with degreaser - shake - let sit overnight - remove, rinse - replace (on clean cassette - right?) relube

:)

[Frankwurst]

Take SoCalSteve's advice. I'm self taught and started thirty years ago when books were hard to find. I learned by asking questions and using common sense. Your lucky in this day and age there is a ton of info at your fingertips.
It's not rocket science and don't let it intimidate you. That's one of the beautiful things about a bicycle, you can do it yourself! Go for it and good luck(not that you'll need it) :beer: