OP
OP
Do you ever amaze yourself what a competent mechanic you have become?
- Thread starter Manonabike
- Start date
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About the only thing I haven't tackled is wheel-building (although I did replace all the spokes in the front wheel of my Batavus. I did it one at a time. Some of the originals were too long, others were too short and only gripped the nipples by a few threads making it impossible to true).
I have always been hands on and mechanically minded and a life time of working on cars, lorries, tractors and assorted farm machinery make bicycles child's play.
I have always been hands on and mechanically minded and a life time of working on cars, lorries, tractors and assorted farm machinery make bicycles child's play.
I use a Morgans CarbTune, but it's still a major PITA on some bikes. My 900 Diversion was reasonably straightforward. Then I got a mk1 Fazer 600 where the adjuster screws were microscopic and hidden deep in the bowels of the engine. I cracked it after getting a screwdriver with a long thin shaft, and even then had to file down the head on the screwdriver to get it to fit the screws.
My current bike is a Honda CBF600 which is worse again! Carb 3 is fixed, and the other 3 need to be balanced to match it. Carbs 1 & 4 adjusters are slightly awkward to get at, 2 is impossible without the throttle partially open, which means a case of making slight adjustments with the engine off, then start up again, wait for it to settle, then repeat............ a lot of times until all 4 are within the prescribed readings!
Granted some screws are right pita as you say, on mine (bandit 12) they're ok, I've got small bit of blanked off pipe about 2-3" on them for easy reach
cyberknight
As long as I breathe, I attack.
- Location
- Land of confusion
Only time i go to the LBs is for bits and if i cant do a job , i need to change my BB but it looks likes its in their too tight for me to get it out .Last trip was for a headset replacement as i did not trust myself not to bork the frame without the right tools even though i know it can be done.
Pale Rider
Legendary Member
Am I the only one who is happy to tinker with somebody else's bike, but not my own?
I am not a natural mechanic. I'll do basic maitenance such as brakes, gear indexing, punctures up to and including a bottom bracket replacement. On the whole though, I'd rather pay someone to do the work and enjoy spending my freetime riding the bike, not maintaining it.
In summary, yes I occasionally amaze myself with my modest efforts, but would much rather leave it to someone else.
In summary, yes I occasionally amaze myself with my modest efforts, but would much rather leave it to someone else.
Linford
Guest
Bicycles are easy to strip down and rebuild, in comparison to Yamaha motorbikes.
Even the simplest of jobs require a frustrating amount of dismantling to get at the part you need to reach. All bolts and fasteners are made of cheese, resulting in a lot of rounding of heads and snapping of studs. And I haven't even mentioned balancing carburettors yet. Oh, and if you decide to take it to a franchised dealer for service or repairs, prepare to re-mortgage your house. They make car dealers look charitable!
you mean like this ?
I find the carb/throttle body balancing quite straightforward by comparison. Last time around, I took the shims into work and had them all custom ground to size for optimum clearances (right on top tol...makes the bike a bit moe rattley, but ultimately more power). That bit saved me a fortune.
Am much less happy to tinker with a modern cycle though. I've done a bit of wheel truing, but I'd need a a good bit of instruction before attempting to lace one up from scratch.
Steve Saunders
Active Member
- Location
- Dundee, Scotland
I've just replaced the hub on my rear wheel, which meant disassembling the wheel and rebuilding it. Managed to get it dished, tensioned, trued without any issue using the bike frame as a truing stand, a couple of rulers to check it was dished correctly and a couple of tie-wraps on the seat stays to help checking the truing. It's still running just as true 300+ miles later.
I've fettled pretty much everything on the bike, with just the headset remaining.
Not overly mechanically minded, but following videos on youtube makes things seem less daunting.
I've fettled pretty much everything on the bike, with just the headset remaining.
Not overly mechanically minded, but following videos on youtube makes things seem less daunting.
RWright
Guru
- Location
- North Carolina
I am replacing a rear cassette on one of my bikes. I hope my wheel doesn't fall off when I am finished, at least not while I am going down hill very fast. 
Youtube videos are a great help, so is the Park Tool web site, I guess the Shimano site is too if I could figure out how to navigate it better. I had to take a wheel in to be trued, I don't have a truing stand and this wheel was out of round (forget what that is called exactly) as well as needing trued. They didn't get it perfect but much better than I could get it, at this stage of my wheel truing career without a truing stand.
Youtube videos are a great help, so is the Park Tool web site, I guess the Shimano site is too if I could figure out how to navigate it better. I had to take a wheel in to be trued, I don't have a truing stand and this wheel was out of round (forget what that is called exactly) as well as needing trued. They didn't get it perfect but much better than I could get it, at this stage of my wheel truing career without a truing stand.
TonyEnjoyD
Guru
- Location
- Newcastle upon Tyne
Since I took up cycling 4 years ago after 20 years off, then getting 3-bikes, I needed to save money through self-maintenance.
I got most if the tools cheap through Aldi and can now do almost anything .
In saying that, I've never tred a wheel build - but never had the need
I got most if the tools cheap through Aldi and can now do almost anything .
In saying that, I've never tred a wheel build - but never had the need
sidevalve
Über Member
Anyway, while sorting out the nuclear reactor I always find it best - OOps sorry.Yebbut.... the thread title says "Do you ever amaze yourself what a competent mechanic you have become."
No mention of whether it refers to bicycles, cars, motorbikes, or nuclear subs.
Bromptonaut
Rohan Man
- Location
- Bugbrooke UK
Ask me again when I've put the SA Sprinter hub back together!!
The only thing that stops me DIY'ing everything is the lack of the proper tool. If the job is something I might be doing again then I might buy the tool but for things like retapping a bottom bracket, I'll take the bike to an LBS.
I started doing it myself from day 1, basic tasks first then just slowly building it up. I built my first wheel maybe 18 months ago - to my surprise, it was easier than I thought it was going to be.
On the motorbikes, I'll do all the regular maintenance things; oil and filter changes, chain maintenance, changing chain and sprockets, replacing brake pads and brake lines... stuff like that. I draw the line at electrics and serious mechanicing though. That's stuff where I'm happy to pay someone whose job it is to do those things.
I started doing it myself from day 1, basic tasks first then just slowly building it up. I built my first wheel maybe 18 months ago - to my surprise, it was easier than I thought it was going to be.
On the motorbikes, I'll do all the regular maintenance things; oil and filter changes, chain maintenance, changing chain and sprockets, replacing brake pads and brake lines... stuff like that. I draw the line at electrics and serious mechanicing though. That's stuff where I'm happy to pay someone whose job it is to do those things.
