Maintenance

[NHAero]

Some recent threads here include opinions that range from, tinkering is half the fun, to, I never touch the bike and that's why I like (fill in the blank).

I've had the frame Brad Bingham made for me now about 7-1/2 months and 2,200 miles. The 9100 drivetrain came off the Strong so has 17 months and a bit over 4,600 miles. The hydro brakes obviously were reinstalled on the Bingham so re-installed and re-bled at the time.

I had an annoying, intermittent click in the drivetrain that I isolated to a) the drivetrain and b) not the pedals (swapped pedals and click remained), so I put it up in the stand. I pulled the cranks and tightened the Wheels Mfg BSA to 30mm cups a smidge, and tightened the three Torx bolts holding the Engin spider to the Force 22 cranks, and removed and re-installed the chainrings on the spider, then put it back together properly torqued.

While in the stand, I re-bled the brakes. I also took up a smidge of cable tension on the rear derailleur cable.

On my ride today, the click is gone, it shifts perfectly, and the brake levers are a bit further from the bars when braking hard. Small stuff. I spent a couple of hours on it and it seems worth it to me. So I don't think I'm in either camp, the like-to-tinker or set-it-and-forget-it. I like the feeling of being able to take care of my own bikes, but I'd rather be riding them.

How about you?

[Turkle]

For me, half the fun is tearing down bikes and building them up. That said, I do find disc brakes a major hassle to deal with, both mechanical and hydro!

I actually prefer to have a shop put together my "high-performance" bikes. Modern drivetrains and brakes are just super fiddly to set up. I must be too clumsy by half.

I very much enjoy tearing down old 10-speed bikes and turning them into awesome commuters / townie bikes for my friends. Think bar-end shifters, bomb-proof wheelsets, wider tires, and fenders. There's nothing more gratifying to me than having someone get a few thousand miles on a totally radical commuter / townie build that I wrenched together for them!

[Wattvagen]

I have never visited an auto mechanic, i mow my own lawn and work on my bikes. I dont really enjoy doing any of that stuff, but it's always felt more "natural" to just do it myself, especially with regard to bicycles, which are really so dead simple to work on compared to other more complex things.

I do feel like we are lucky that modern components are so very good these days. Wheels stay true forever, a well adjusted drivetrain can go thousands of miles without needing fiddling, and damnit, you can ride a pair of dura-ace pedals for at least a million miles without any service whatsoever.

So I guess I am thankful I can do my own work, and do find that something like keeping a bike running is simple enough that it's just easier, quicker and cheaper to do it myself.

[cgates66]

I like to do my own wrench work and I like tinkering. Bikes tend to get out of whack when ridden, so the ability to do periodic adjustments, install your own parts etc. to me is quite worthwhile. And it lets you keep a quiet bike without losing days to the shop.

[lavi]

I do all my own builds/maintenance. I'm a set it and forget it guy.

While I don't dislike working on bikes, it's not something I'm yearning to do.

Pumping tires and chain cleaning/lube chain, that's fine as it has to be done.

[many_styles]

For me it depends. After a certain amount of time and I’m still not able to resolve, I don't have qualms letting a professional do it.

It’s a fault of mine, but now in my life I have the means, I’d like my bikes at a certain standard and if I can’t achieve it on my own, then again happy to pay for it.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[copperfox]

A few years ago I decided I would start doing all my own maintenance, and buy whatever tools as the need arose. It's been a great way to slowly build my knowledge and skill without pressure. Feels like tinkering on bikes is as much of a hobby as riding them. Though I'd still rather be riding!

[Likes2ridefar]

.

[Geemalar]

I’m fortunate in that I’m able to build and maintain all of my bikes. I’m really not a big fan of it, but I’ll take care of whatever needs to be done.

Although I do admit that I kind of like the part about installing new bar tape. I’ll take probably way too much time doing it, but I’m particular about getting all the seams evenly spaced and taped up properly. If I’m going to have to look at it all season, I want it to look right.

[krooj]

I love doing my own maintenance and you really get a sense of how much better group A is over Group B from seeing the wear and tear first hand; IME, DA and Campy (in general) are worth it. Any of the Shimano groups below DA are hatefully built to a price point and you can see it.

[bikeboy1]

I have been doing all my own maintenance since I began riding as I did with all my motos so wrenching a bici is just the natural thing to do. My most recent purchase for tools was a bleed kit for Campy but I did throw together my own kit for Sram and I have bled both systems now so learned a thing or two with that. Its nice to know the bikes inside and out so when you do have a problem you typically know what needs to be done. That said I am still learning new tricks so its always ongoing. Also the only E groups I have worked with is Sram etap at this point.

[Tickdoc]

I’m a terrible bike mechanic….I can tear down a bike and put it back together fine, but I’m awful at adjusting derailleur’s and truing wheels. I just find it easier to let my wrench do the work and know that it is done right. She is transitioning now, but still knows her way around a bike, and she’s campy friendly

[bigbill]

I do my bike maintenance. I have only bought one prebuilt bike; otherwise, all my bikes arrived as frames and boxes of parts. My first disc brake bike was my Coconino gravel bike, and I used youtube videos to show me to install and bleed. I've only bled them once since building the bike in 2017. I've been through a few sets of pads.

I have a 1967 Mustang I bought in 1983. I've done all the mechanical work over the years, including a seized axle bearing, fuel lines, fuel pump, upper and lower A-arms, and numerous carburetor rebuilds. We have a travel trailer but so far I've only replaced the potable pump. I have a nice tool collection for cars and a separate box for bike specific tools.

Overall, I find it cathartic to work on stuff. Especially if it still works.

[MatchDave]

Really enjoy doing my own bike work - building up from bare frames with components acquired from various sources, new and used. And doing almost of my own maintenance. Straightforward satisfaction when the work is done and things run properly and quietly. Truth in advertising - good thing I think it's fun, because it'll take me most of a day to do what a decent shop mechanic does in a couple of hours. And my bikes, tools, and absolutely my knowledge are limited to mechanical shifting rim brake road bikes. And grandkids' bikes - those kids still think Grandpa is a hot shot bike mechanic.

[tellyho]

I love the building and messing around with as much as I love the riding, I think. Unless it's bleeding brakes. I really hate bleeding brakes.