Should I service myself?

[Cycleops]

Yes, and my girlfriend's bikes, and a couple of mates' bikes. One of my GF's mates turned up at my house with a bike she'd bought of Ebay. She said it needs a bit of work, but Liz said you would mind and let me know what I owe you for parts!

No I don't live in Scotland.

Yorkshire?

 

[Juan Kog]

How hard is that though? On a scale of 1 to 10? I’m not very practical when it comes to fine mechanics. I can build a fence or clear a garden, but technical stuff is more challenging. How steep a learning curve are we talking?

Service maintain and build my own bikes yep . Build my own garden fence , your joking, it would fall over in a light breeze. Start with basic adjustments, then build your skills and confidence.

 

[Brandane]

Is there a handy CCer in Central Scotland who would give it a once over for some beer or pies?

I would volunteer my services, but being honest, I won't work on other people's bikes. Apart from anything else, if I make a hash of something on my own bike it's no big deal. Do it on someone else's bike and it's down to me to put it right.. Never mind personal liability issues if I REALLY make a hash of something and it results in an accident.

I learnt the hard way after agreeing to give a mate's bike a "once over". It turned out to be a nightmare because he had totally neglected it and it needed new chain, cassette, and brake pads. Parts alone were going to be about £70, which he didn't want to spend. I think he was under the impression that I would spend 10 minutes adjusting a few things, throw some oil on a few bits, and his bike would be sweet as a nut. On top of that, the bike was filthy, especially around the drive gear, which is never fun to work on!
I think he ended up taking it to an LBS for a second opinion, and I never did find out how much that ended up costing him.

 

[Sharky]

by "servicing", do you mean preventative maintenance before there is a problem?
For this, I would do myself. Basically check tyres, brakes and for any loose bits.

If however, something is broken, making a noise or obviously needing TLC, then I would weigh up the difficulty, do I have the tools, do I have the time and knowledge etc. Usually would try diy, but more than once have gone to the LBS. There are a few good ones round here and have always done a good job,

But would only ask the LBS to address the specific items needing attention.

 

[PaulSB]

TBH I'm a bit bemused by what a "service" is.

You need to take an occasional glance at your brake blocks and make sure your chain is lubed, but beyond that, you can just ride until things go wrong, then fix them when they do.

Am I missing something?

I would say yes. A bicycle is a machine with parts which wear out and require attention. In exactly the same way as a car.

I would no more leave my bike unserviced until "things go wrong" than I would my car. The car is serviced by a professional every 12 months and I feel the same is very appropriate for my bikes. For example I can't tell how worn my disc pads are. Why would I wait till "till things go wrong" potentially in a catastrophic manner?

I check my bike after every ride, clean if needed, wipe down and lube chain and check tyres for pointy bits. A regular wash means paying close attention so I can spot any little issues which can lead to bigger problems.

I feel this is the best maintenance or service I can give my bikes.

 

[roubaixtuesday]

For example I can't tell how worn my disc pads are

Um... I specifically mentioned brake pads...

 

[PaulSB]

Um... I specifically mentioned brake pads...

Sorry I read this as meaning you have rim brakes. I have discs and I don't know how I could visually inspect these hence my thought you have rim brakes.

 

[Brandane]

For example I can't tell how worn my disc pads are

Look at them! Pull the wheel off if necessary.
A car needs oil change, filter change, spark plugs, air filter etc., none of which are found on a bike. All of which can be done of course by a reasonably competent DIY'er with a Haynes manual.

 

[roubaixtuesday]

Sorry I read this as meaning you have rim brakes. I have discs and I don't know how I could visually inspect these hence my thought you have rim brakes.

I have bikes with both.

Disc brakes are even more of an argument against the concept of LBS "service". There's absolutely no way I'd leave disc brakes uninspected until an annual "service" by LBS. Would you?

Incidentally, the inability to easily judge wear is a key advantage to rim brakes.

 

[swee'pea99]

Do you all service your own bikes?

I have never serviced any of my bikes, and nor has anyone else. I fix things when they go wrong, which is seldom. In your case, eg, I'd try to figure out why the gears are being a bit antsy, and fix that. Bikes aren't hard to fix, and youtube's made it even easier.

 

[Lovacott]

My wife bought me a day course on cycle maintenance. It was fascinating and I genuinely had a great time. Came home armed with cable cutters (useful around the house), a Park Tool chain measure (still in original packaging) and a tub of stuff to rub on my hands to stop them getting oily (still got it, works well).

I'd use the chain checker tool if I were you. It takes two seconds and will tell you when your chain needs replacing even if you are getting someone else to change it for you.

It could save you a small fortune in repairs.

 

[swee'pea99]

How hard is that though? On a scale of 1 to 10? I’m not very practical when it comes to fine mechanics. I can build a fence or clear a garden, but technical stuff is more challenging. How steep a learning curve are we talking?

Bikes make sense. Pull the brake lever, it pulls the cable; other end of the cable it pulls the brake parts together; release the lever and a spring pulls them apart again - that's it! It's not like a carburetor, where you can't see what's actually going on. Cars I leave to professionals; bikes are easy peasy.

 

[dodgy]

If you're a cyclist who already rides away from home a decent distance, you should already have the skills to perform the majority of a service, especially adjusting gears.
Use the opportunity to learn. I am amazed how many cyclists I know who do >6000 miles a year don't know how to index their gears.

 

[Darius_Jedburgh]

Very few things on a bike go terminally wrong with no prior warning.
A quick visual check on all the components once a week, or when you clean your bike, will tell you if anything needs attention.
Of course, if you never clean your bike you atejust storing up big trouble.

 

[Darius_Jedburgh]

I have discs and I don't know how I could visually inspect these

When you clean your bike you take the wheels out to clean them. Yes? Look at the pads. It's not rocket science.
You mean you don't clean your wheels?