Your most important bike fettling tip?

[Custom24]

Read Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.

Really? Which part?

 

[alicat]

Read Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.​

Really? Which part?

The parts to do with motorcycle maintenance for a starter. They transfer well to bike maintenance.

 

[Custom24]

The parts to do with motorcycle maintenance for a starter. They transfer well to bike maintenance.

The book itself states in its forward that "it should in no way be associated with that great body of factual information relating to orthodox Zen Buddhist practice. It's not very factual on motorcycles, either."

I recall various parts related to motorcycle maintenance, but they were used to illustrate topics, rather than impart information about motorcycle maintenance per se. The topics being illustrated were mainly about systems and their analyses, and for those of us already in possession of a fairly analytic brain and training, there was nothing of interest. As for the major theme of the book, Quality, wtf was he on about?

 

[alicat]

I agree with you about the 'Quality' aspect of the book.

for those of us already in possession of a fairly analytic brain and training, there was nothing of interest.

I for one do not possess that type of brain nor training when it comes to mechanics and machinery. I found the sections about the philosophy of motorcycle maintenance - avoiding gumption traps and developing a mechanical sensitivity and so on - very heartening in terms of the journey I am taking to learn to fettle my bikes myself.

 

[Boris Bajic]

When repairing at the roadside and removong/replacing wheels with the bike inverted, loosen and re-tighten the QR levers after putting the bike on its wheels.

It is easy to put a wheel into vertical (modern) drop-outs at a slightly squiffy angle and not notice until the thing tries to unseat you on a fast descent.

 

[Fnaar]

When repairing at the roadside and removong/replacing wheels with the bike inverted ...

...take the bottle out of its cage, or you end up with lucozade everywhere

 

[Mr Haematocrit]

for every mile spend a minute cleaning

 

[T4tomo]

It is possible to close your front brake caliper on the move if you spot that you forgot to do it when you reassembled the bike!

Possible the rear too but I've not tried that.

 

[Fnaar]

Pump your road bike tyres up to 100psi (or a bit more if you like)

 

[fossala]

for every mile spend a minute cleaning

That doesn't work out well. I go and cycle 30ish miles every day. I'm not going to spend 30mins a day fettling my bike.

 

[Mr Haematocrit]

That doesn't work out well. I go and cycle 30ish miles every day. I'm not going to spend 30mins a day fettling my bike.

I spend that, even when its clean I polish it, Tuesday is chain night ...... and now I'm starting to feel like that bloke on the bus that talks to himself, in his own little world, enjoying every moment of his perceived normality. While others point and giggle

 

[tribanjules]

I can always find something to fettle, even when my bike's fettled.
my tip - don't ask the kids to hold a bike while you adjust the brakes - always ends in trapped fingers when they move at the wrong moment

 

[Mr Haematocrit]

Might I suggest that you get a life

Think therapy is a better suggestion, I like the sound of that life thing, it sounds like it might need cleaning