To those responding to this post who are saying they're gradually learning to do most everything (adjusting, changing components, etc.) except wheel building, I say *don't underrate yourself!* With a good resource (personally, I'd recommend Sheldon Brown's step-by-step methodology available on-line) and a little fooling around and practice *you can do it! *
Also, as you go along and figure out how to do replacement and maintenance of various components, be prepared to buy some specialized tools. Just like almost everything on a bike, you'll discover that a specific tool is needed to do the job correctly. That's not to say that you need anything more than a small screwdriver and some hex key wrenches to make minor adjustments to deraillers or to change brake cables...you don't. But when it comes to things like replacing headsets or bottom brackets you'll need some unique tools. On Monday, February 20, 2023 at 10:55:18 AM UTC-6 Stephanie A. wrote: > I love this, Leah! I've been doing what I can on my bike, and now that I'm > really starting to change components I'm starting to learn more and more. > My hope is that once I'm done adjusting components on this bike I can be in > an okay place to eventually build up my own from a frame and fork > (wheel-building excluded--I'll leave that to the wheel pros). > > On Monday, February 20, 2023 at 11:49:54 AM UTC-5 velomann wrote: > >> I'm (mostly) self-taught as far as wrenching goes. I started decades ago >> maintaining my own bikes, then buying and repairing and re-selling bikes >> from CL. I eventually got to the point where I could strip a bike to the >> bare frame and rebuild everything. The only formal class I took was a wheel >> building class from Jude K. when she owned Sugar Wheelworks (One of the >> best birthday gifts my wife ever gave me) and now that's a skill in my >> quiver. I worked 30 years as a middle school LA/SS teacher (bike commuted >> every day) and hanging out with the bikes in the basement was a form of >> therapy and decompression. Now, I'm semi-retired. I work as a substitute >> teacher 2 days/week, and a professional bike mechanic (!) 3 days/week at Go >> By Bike, "North America's largest bike valet service" >> https://www.gobybikepdx.com/ I'm living my best life. >> a few months ago I had a valet client who was complaining that she >> couldn't get her seat low enough. I pulled the seat, put the post in the >> vice, cut 6 inches off the bottom, touched up the edges with a file, and >> remounted it in the position she wanted. I took the remaining section of >> seatpost and stuck a piece of tape on it where I wrote "It's not Rocket >> Science." This reminder is still on a shelf in the shop. And as anyone who >> reads Grant's Blagh knows, Bikes shouldn't be too precious. Don't fear >> wrenching - it's empowering. >> >> Mike M >> >> On Saturday, February 18, 2023 at 6:31:40 PM UTC-8 Bicycle Belle Ding >> Ding! wrote: >> >>> It’s winter here in Michigan and business at the local bike shop is >>> slow. The shop had a brilliant idea to host a class for a small number of >>> students to teach basic bicycle maintenance/mechanics. Students were to >>> bring their own bikes, which was wonderful because we would learn to work >>> on what we actually have. Our teacher was quietly brilliant, extremely >>> patient, and, well, dreamy. (I would love to set him up with my friend from >>> my women’s club ride and then be in their wedding. Unable to ascertain his >>> marital status without committing harassment, I am still in the throes of >>> scheming.) >>> >>> I digress! >>> >>> He taught us how the shop gives each bike a once-over. It’s an M shape, >>> starting at the front wheel, going up to the bars, down to the pedal/chain >>> ring, up to the saddle and down to that rear wheel. From there we moved on >>> to wheel truing, derailleurs and shifters, and finally, brakes. >>> >>> There were three of us in the class; one aluminum Trek with flat bars, a >>> steel Jamis that had been ridden hard on the trainer in covid, and my >>> raspberry Platypus. We all had V brakes. They had indexed shifting and I >>> had friction. When examining our bikes, we/he found several problems >>> (though not on the Platypus because I drag that bike in for every little >>> thing) that we then observed our teacher fix. I now know what a loose >>> headset sounds like (the Trek). Though, ironically, if you hit my front >>> wheel to elicit the sound, the German mirror will respond with an identical >>> sound. There are some skills that I still see best left to the experts - >>> wheel truing, for instance. I audibly gasped when he took after the spokes >>> of a wheel to mess them up for demonstration. I am leaving my new spoke >>> wrench in the packaging because no good can come from that thing. >>> >>> I am still not brave enough to do a lot with tools to my bike, but I’m >>> working on it. I like that some of the mystery was taken out of it all and >>> I can see how parts work. Do I dare disclose here some of what I thought >>> beforehand? Oh, fine. I thought a wheel out of true meant they had to bend >>> a rim back into place. I had NO idea spokes were the culprit, nor did I >>> know you could adjust them. 😬 And so on and so forth. >>> >>> Our mechanic was so encouraging and told us we should experiment at home >>> - don’t worry, he assured us, you won’t break anything. But I wonder if he >>> will feel the same when I show up with my collection of redundant >>> Rivendells; pieces and parts left over and collected after rolling around >>> on my garage floor. “I have been fixing my bike and now it won’t work.” >>> >>> Anyway, it’s a small step of self-betterment and I’ll keep walking that >>> direction. I’m sure some of you out there can relate. >>> Leah >>> >> -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/570599a2-7ad3-4c70-88b4-aae44fe4d045n%40googlegroups.com.
