Bike maintenence course

[Sh4rkyBloke]

I'm on this course in Manchester next Sunday. I've still not figured out whether to ride there (about 6 miles) or stick the bike in the car and park at work 3/4 mile down the road.

The former will see me being hot and sweaty when arriving (Pootle??? What's that, some breed of horrible dog?) but the latter seems to go against the spirit of having the bike... and the Wife will probably want the car anyway as she'll have the 2 nippers to entertain!

 

[fofo]

I'm on this course in Manchester next Sunday. I've still not figured out whether to ride there (about 6 miles) or stick the bike in the car and park at work 3/4 mile down the road.

The former will see me being hot and sweaty when arriving (Pootle??? What's that, some breed of horrible dog?) but the latter seems to go against the spirit of having the bike... and the Wife will probably want the car anyway as she'll have the 2 nippers to entertain!

You should make sure you cycle a few miles on Wilmslow Road for the added "excitement" before the course

 

[Nigeyy]

Yes, but I think it depends on the set you get -be very careful. Personally, I'm a Park Tools man myself, and yes they are expensive, but hey, you get what you pay for. Mind you, I've made my own headset press and crown race remover (just couldn't justify buying them given how often I use them).
My favourite tool is the star nut setter -chunky, heavy and so easy to use.

And to echo Magnatom, getting a workstand makes things so much easier -but again, don't get a cheap one without having a really,really good look at it to make sure it's good enough. I have a cheap Park stand -cheaper because the clamp has to be unscrewed and tightened rather than a spring loaded jaw but a quality tool nonetheless -if I was working on bikes every week, I'd have spent a bit more to get the spring loaded jaw mechanism.

Lastly, when you get that workstand, don't clamp around the seat tube!

No, just buy a set. It works out so much cheaper. The quality is a bit lower than buying individual tools but to be honest not by that much. Certainly for occasional use they'll be fine.

 

[BentMikey]

+1 to Nigeyy. Buy quality and buy once.

 

[Mr Pig]

Lastly, when you get that workstand, don't clamp around the seat tube!

Why is that?

 

[Nigeyy]

Just a bad habit -particularly if you have a lightweight bike with thin tubing. Doesn't take much to deform the tube. Better off doing it by extending your seatpost just as much as you need and clamping that. Unless of course the seatpost is very short or is carbon.... In the case of a carbon seatpost just go carefully -though even then, you're probably better off damaging a seatpost over the frame. If the seatpost is too short then you do have to use the frame *carefully*!

I worked at a bike shop and found that out within minutes of arriving -I guess someone had already done it before!

Why is that?

 

[BentMikey]

Apparently carbon seatposts are strong enough to take a Carradice SQR bracket and 10kg of longflap camper. I was rather surprised to learn that!

 

[Mr Pig]

Apparently carbon seatposts are strong enough to take a Carradice SQR bracket and 10kg of longflap camper. I was rather surprised to learn that!

If I had any idea what that meant, I might be too! ;0)

I'll need to figure out what I'm going to do now that I have a bike with hydraulic brakes. You're not supposed to turn them upside down as air can get into the lines. I do think it's a bit of a fuss about nothing though.

If you get air into a line you are supposed to bleed the brake. However I've already found out that hanging or sitting the bike so that the line is pointing upwards, allowing the air to get out in exactly the same way it got in, works perfectly well.

 

[BentMikey]

LOL! One of these:
http://www.carradice.co.uk/saddlebags/camper-longflap-saddlebag.shtml

plus one of these:
http://www.carradice.co.uk/racks-and-attachments/sqr-system.shtml

 

[HJ]

We have quite a big car so the bike could fit in the car quite easily. I'd have had to set off very early to get their at 10am!

You have to pay for parking nearby, but someone local might be able to advise on local free parking (if it exists).

Free parking! In Edinburgh!! you have got to be joking...