Fixing bikes for others - mechanical neglect

[Gixxerman]

I am an engineer, so I have a good degree of mechanical sympathy. If I hear, feel or see something that is not right whilst riding, I stop and investigate. This most certainly cannot be said for my bother and his kids. My nephew left a bike at my dads house with instructions for me to take a look at it. The symptom reported was that the chain comes off when you pedal backwards. I immediately thought that maybe he was changing gear whilst back pedaling, but even he is not that silly. So I took it home to have a look. What greeted me was beyond my expectations. The bottom bracket had about 5mm of play in it. The freehub retaining ring had unscrewed completely and the freehub had fallen off the wheel. The rear wheel wobbled on its axle alarmingly. After the rear wheel was stripped. The tale of woe was that most of the free hub bearings had decided that going round and round was not for them, and had made good their escape, as was the same for the rear wheel bearings. The rear brake was almost too stiff to operate. When questioned about all this my nephew said that he was aware that the rear brake was a bit stiff, but he didn't use it anyway. He was however, unaware about the BB play. He was unaware that the free hub was in the process of falling off, until it actually fell off completely. He did think that the rear wheel was a bit lose and it was hard to reach a decent speed without a lot of effort.
Luckily, and had some ball bearings of the correct sizes for both the free hub and rear wheel. This was cleaned, greased and re-assembled and it worked quite well. The free hub still sticks a bit, but that is probably a decent result given the level of abuse it has suffered. The rear wheel now rotates without the ridiculous wobble it had. The BB was stripped, cleaned, reassembled and adjusted and it is fine now. Rear brake cable and pivots were lubricated and brake bias adjusted.
It is ridable again now. I am just flabbergasted that someone could ride a bike with these issues and not be aware that something was wrong.

 

[Ianboydsnr]

They don’t need to have any mechanical sympathy or knowledge, they have an engineer for an uncle.

 

[pjd57]

I helped a neighbours kid put his wheel back on.
Few seconds only to tighten quick release.

My main instruction was get your dad to check it.

He didn't. But I made sure I told his dad to check it.


I'm not going to take the blame if it comes off.

 

[Smokin Joe]

I've come across a couple of people who left their QR lever in the closed position when removing and refitting a wheel. They unscrewed it like a wing nut, and did it back up the same way.

One's mind did boggle a bit.

 

[raleighnut]

I've come across a couple of people who left their QR lever in the closed position when removing and refitting a wheel. They unscrewed it like a wing nut, and did it back up the same way.

One's mind did boggle a bit.

I've seen that but even worse are the ones who screw em up in the 'open' position "Cos you get more leverage innit"

 

[graham bowers]

Have just been watching this in another context. Its about engineers, and is close to the mark having been one and known lots!

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dx6HojLBsnw

 

[Gravity Aided]

I volunteer in a bicycle co-op, located in a disadvantaged area of town. The mechanical miracles I see from time to time are amazing. Some of the bikes are in such a sad state of disrepair I wonder how they not alone function, but that they have not caused injury or fatality in the going.

 

[iancity]

just to even things up a bit...I often ask my local bike mechanic to have a look at my bike...I will drop it in for one thing and he will ring me and say "Ian, did you know you bottom bracket.." or "Ian, I've tested the brakes as well and did you know.." the upshot is no, I dont. I have been riding for 5 years and *think* I know what a bottom bracket is but still a bit hmmm wouldnt put my house on it!. But if its not 'right' how the heck am I supposed to know - I just sit on my bike and ride. "Bottom bracket had about 5mm of play in it"??? I have no idea what that even means ! To be honest most of the OP's post is lost on me..hub bearings? Nope, no idea what they are :-(

Just saying, not everyone is mechanically minded...I have a decent job, am fairly intelligent I think, yet struggle with the most basic of 'mechanical' things...everyone's different, celebrate it :-)

 

[dantheman]

I am mechanical ally minded, and it is annoying sometimes to be asked to fix a puncture for someone and find out there's no puncture, they just can't use a pump, but both wheels are so out of true they don't turn, qr skewers missing that's why your wheel fell off, or such.. Yes we should all celebrate that our minds work in different t ways, some of us have amazing intelligence and no common sense, some the opposite.. Be thankful if your someone with an average of the two..

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

I take the view that if you are old enough to propel a mechanical object, then you are also old enough to learn how it works. I've been pulling things to pieces (and sometimes even managing to get them back together again) since I was big enough to open a toolbox and take a spanner out of it. I'd be ashamed of myself if I had to go begging for assistance with something as basic as a bicycle. Aside from the bits involving expensive diagnostic kit, I also do all my own car maintenance and have done since a teenager. Having to get someone else to fix a mechanical object for me, I regard as a failure, and not something to be proud of or excuse away by saying "I'm no good with mechanical stuff".
Some of my bikes might be right at the low-budget end of the spectrum, but they still ride correctly and they don't make grinding & clattering noises as I go down the road.

 

[mustang1]

I am an engineer, so I have a good d
Stuff deleted
I am just flabbergasted that someone could ride a bike with these issues and not be aware that something was wrong.

I suppose technically they were aware something was wrong, that's why you were given the bike to fix

 

[Tim Hall]

I take the view that if you are old enough to propel a mechanical object, then you are also old enough to learn how it works. I've been pulling things to pieces (and sometimes even managing to get them back together again) since I was big enough to open a toolbox and take a spanner out of it. I'd be ashamed of myself if I had to go begging for assistance with something as basic as a bicycle. Aside from the bits involving expensive diagnostic kit, I also do all my own car maintenance and have done since a teenager. Having to get someone else to fix a mechanical object for me, I regard as a failure, and not something to be proud of or excuse away by saying "I'm no good with mechanical stuff".
Some of my bikes might be right at the low-budget end of the spectrum, but they still ride correctly and they don't make grinding & clattering noises as I go down the road.

I take the view that I know how to do somethings in life and other people know other things. If I can help someone and pass on a teeny bit of that knowledge for the next time that's good. If I can learn from someone else, that's also good.

 

[lane]

I am not very good mechanically but do tend to realise if something is wrong with my bike. I was out with a friend yesterday and noticed his rear wheel had a fair bit of sideways movement e.g. I could hold the wheel and move it from side to side. I did mention this to him but he seemed unconcerned. He has had it in a bike shop recently. I am going on a 250 mile three day tour with him in in a few weeks. On reflection I think I will recommend he gets this looked at before we go. He probably won't, because he has plans to buy a new bike (not before the tour) and won't want to spend any money on the old bike.

 

[Milkfloat]

I take the view that if you are old enough to propel a mechanical object, then you are also old enough to learn how it works. I've been pulling things to pieces (and sometimes even managing to get them back together again) since I was big enough to open a toolbox and take a spanner out of it. I'd be ashamed of myself if I had to go begging for assistance with something as basic as a bicycle. Aside from the bits involving expensive diagnostic kit, I also do all my own car maintenance and have done since a teenager. Having to get someone else to fix a mechanical object for me, I regard as a failure, and not something to be proud of or excuse away by saying "I'm no good with mechanical stuff".
Some of my bikes might be right at the low-budget end of the spectrum, but they still ride correctly and they don't make grinding & clattering noises as I go down the road.

How are you with quantum physics, big data, DNA sequencing, medical science, law etc? Some people are just not interested or simply don't have the time. I would never look down on someone because they cannot or will not perform their own maintenance.

 

[youngoldbloke]

How are you with quantum physics, big data, DNA sequencing, medical science, law etc? Some people are just not interested or simply don't have the time. I would never look down on someone because they cannot or will not perform their own maintenance.

Fair point, maybe, but it's sad that that those with everyday practical skills have become regarded as odd, the exception to the norm. Hence jokes about assembling Ikea furniture, the need to call specialists to deal with minor household maintenance jobs such as fixing a dripping tap, or changing a plug. What used to be commonplace is now the realm of the specialist technician - therefore bikes have become highly 'technical', and require 'servicing'. I blame Lego