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recc a good maintainence guide

Started by badhat · · Last activity · 6 posts · 1,095 views

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01 / Original postrecc a good maintainence guidebadhat · 3 Sep 2005 02 / This pagePosts 1–6Page 1 of 1 · chronological order 03 / Latest replyPost #6Batesy · 5 Sep 2005

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Bike Cafe
Published
3 September 2005
Last activity
5 September 2005
Original author
badhat
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6
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Public discussion
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1,095
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Bottom bracketsSpoke count

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  1. Original post
    badhat
    Archived post
    #1

    i just got my bike back from its regular tune up and got a heft $140 bill for it.... (80 for service, 60 for parts)....

    parts i get, thats fine, and really i do appreciate the expertise of a good wrench, the guys at my shop are top notch, but it was a standard tune up, the only specific things i advised them to look at were my crunchy sounding bottom bracket and my real deraileur allignment.

    both of which were fixed and additionally we decided it was about time to replace my casette and chain (2k miles)....

    i just dunno how comfortable i am paying 80 bucks for that, particularly given that i know how little of that actually makes it to the shop guys... and particularly given that i can get my grand cherokee lubed and tuned for like 30 dollars at jiffy lube.... jsut doesnt seem right, somehow....

    so i figure, having been a relatively serious rider for a long time now, its about time i started doing a bit more of my own maintainence. would love to learn how to open up my bottom bracket, replace a casette, replace a chain, align a deraileur, the basicm gotta do it every couple of months type stuff.

    i dont mind spending some money a couple of times a year, but i ride a lot and would love to be a little more self reliant....

    so is there a bible out there thats sort of the DIY standard? what do you guys reccomend?

    thanks in advance

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  2. shannons dad
    Archived post
    #2

    The Bike Book by Haynes (ISBN no. 1-85010-977-X) covers just about every topic you can think of. It's clearly written so even simpletons like me can understand it and gives each job a difficulty rating and how long it should take. Mine's the 1994 version but there are newer revisions. Park Tools have what many believe to be the ultimate bike bible, available through their website, although I've never used it. Sheldon Browns website is also very informative.

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  3. badhat
    Archived post
    #3

    suplemental question:

    list essential worktools in descending order of importance.

    i have a wedding in another state this fall thats sort of dominating my expenses so i doubt i'm gonna ever have a big wad of cash to drop on tools, so i'll probably be getting things as i can afford them...

    i would imagine a stand is at or near the top of any sensible list, what else?

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  4. shannons dad
    Archived post
    #4

    A stand can be helpful, but they aren't necessary unless you're tinkering with the bike constantly. For light maintenance you'll need the following-

    1: Patience (very important!!!)
    2: Set of allen/hex keys. Spend money on these. The cheap ones will round off and snap causing damage to your pride and joy.
    3: A pair of cable cutters. About £20-£30. Pliers can be used to cut cables, but they make a mess of the wire.
    4: Chain tool. Although some multi-tools have these built in and are just as good as a dedicated chain tool.
    5: Spoke Key. Get the right size for your spoke nipples and don't use it till you know how to use it properly. Incorrect use can easily destroy a wheel.

    That list will sort you out for general maintenance and when you're stuck miles from home. There are loads of other more specialized tools on the market, but I wouldn't touch them until you get a book on how to use them.

    P.S. You probably have most of the above tools and I've just made an ass of myself. Buy your book first and read it. You can then determine which jobs you can safely do and get the right tools for it. The books I've mentioned will also tell you which tool you need for which job.

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  5. badhat
    Archived post
    #5

    no no no i appreciate it, man... you certainly didnt make an ass of yourself

    i have a lot of that stuff in my topeak alien, but i mean like you said its all multitool quality and i need to obviously get decicated tools as well.

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  6. Batesy
    Archived post
    #6
    badhat said:

    no no no i appreciate it, man... you certainly didnt make an ass of yourself

    i have a lot of that stuff in my topeak alien, but i mean like you said its all multitool quality and i need to obviously get decicated tools as well.

    I've got both the Haynes book of bike maintenance, and "Zinns art of Mountain Bike maintenance". Although zinn's is illustrated rather than photo's it wins hands down.
    All Haynes books are brilliant for telling you how to take things apart, then include the line "refitting is a reversal of removal" how do you reverse hitting something hard with a hammer until it is loose enough to come out???

    If you get a chance to thumb through them both then do so and see which you prefer. Can you request them at your local library?

    I'd add a decent set of spanners (open and ring end) to the list of tools.

    In particular 8,10,11 + 13mm spaners (or your US non-metric equivalent)

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