Bike maintenance and bike part quality?

Question

How did you guys learn about bike maintenance and bike part quality? I’m pretty ignorant about that stuff but don’t want to stay that way

I haven’t done any maintenance to my bike except change my chain and tubes/ tires – obvious visual stuff. I only know which bike is better because it is easier to bicep curl (lighter) ?

Philip 5 years 0 Answers 2852 views 0

Answers ( No )

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    Talk to your lbs mechanic ask questions and watch what they do when they work on your bike. Mine always does and I've learned quite a bit over the years

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    You Tube (seriously)

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    Years and years of experience

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    I grew up without a father figure to show me how to fix things.
    I learned by trial and error all by myself.
    Today, there are thousands of videos on the internet to help you fix anything

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    Grew up tearing them apart and putting them back together.

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    Youtube and trial and error

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    Trial and error is how i learned !!

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    Park Tools website. Main thing is to work out what tools you need before you start the job and ensure you actually have those tools. Pretty much all bike repair is easy if you aren't trying to bodge it.

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    you answered your own question when you said ' i haven't done any maintenance' – that's where you learn it

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    I built a bike from scratch.

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    Many local shops such as Performance Bikes host clinics. Books sre available if bids aren't your thing.

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    YouTube! Google and groups like this one

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    https://m.pinkbike.com/news/park-tool-derailleur-setup-video.html
    These are VERY well done and informative. There are more links at the bottom of that page.

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    Wish I could help. I work full-time and go to school full time. My maintenance is done by my LBS.

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    I started working on my own bikes from 10 year's old but it's a lot easier now with Google and you tube the rest is down to having the right tools

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    Just experience over time and also buying a "project" bike.

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    Start a FB live feed for this group when you go to work on it. You'll either get a great working bike or a broken washing machine. Either way, it's gold.

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    Join a local cycling club go on rides make friends ASK QUESTIONS. Over time you will get the hang of bike maintenance. Enjoy the journey

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    Just take yours apart and back together …

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    I have to argue that lats part of the remark. Better because it is lighter? Not always the case.

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    I learned a lot from my dad growing up. Then in college my bike was my only transport so I had to figure out how to keep it running. Whenever I needed to fix something I bought the tool to do it and I figured it out.

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    Take your time, look at what everything does. Figure it out. Bikes are fairly simple machines.

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    GCN and Rj the bike guy on YouTube.

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    SI from GCN on YouTube "maintainance mondays" are great, and repeating what others said – bicycles are fairly simple machines – you'll learn the basics pretty easy.

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    Ask friends, ask in Facebook groups. Watch YouTube. A bike is just made up of several small parts, you can master each one over time. Just start slow, be patient and don't give up because of a mistake or two.

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    Haynes do a book of complete bike maintenance.

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    My dad taught me basics, but then I bought a 10-speed, and exceeded his experience.

    But then this book came along. It won't tell you how to add shims to a steerer tube (didn't exist in 1976) but there's lots of good basic info.
    https://books.google.com/books/about/Anybody_s_bike_book.html?id=4HJTAAAAMAAJ

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    Go to your local Bike Shop. Hang out a while and talk to the mechanics. Next day…bring them lunch or donuts or coffee. Ask some questions about local riding. Pay to have your bike worked on. Whatever it needs from derailleurs to full tune…and bring a tip. Cash or fluids. Beer is great but some mechanics don't drink. Unbelievable, I know. After hundreds of hours of this, you may gain their trust and friendship. A mechanic might then begin to show you how to work on a bike. Once you've gained a bit of knowledge, you can offer to help assemble the basic kids bikes during the holidays, for little to no pay, of course. Maybe then you can help out on weekends during peak summer months. this means giving up your own riding time, like the shop guys do. As this process goes on you will acquire skills you never thought necessary, like truing steel wheels on Magnas that have been crooked since they left China. About 2 years in you will have all the mechanical skill needed to adjust you own bike, no money left, and no fitness either. Just like the shop guys. But it's all worth it!

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    The local shop owner that I frequented got sick of a bunch of us hanging around asking questions all the time and he decided to put together a six week clinic for us.

    He charged a small fee and gave us access to the shop after hours and he trained on some basic maintenance and bicycle mechanics.

    Beyond that, it was hands-on practice and investing in the right tools.

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    I just started doing the things I knew I could do. Like change tires and such. Then when something came up I would asses the problem and decide if I was capable of doing the job or if I should take it to my dealer. Sometimes I did the work and sometimes i didn't. When I did do work I had never done, I asked for advice, went on the internet to ask questions and watched a couple of YouTube videos. Now I can wrench. 🙂

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    Originally I learned from my father, later cycling friends. Today you can find a YouTube video on how to fix almost anything.

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    GMBN and GCN on YouTube.

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    Used to do the lot when younger now get others to do it

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    Hi Philip, you can also go to YouTube and see many bike maintenance videos. I also bought a bike maintenance manual suggested by Bicycle magazine.

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    Due diligence,

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    Everytime you take your bike to the shop. Ask if you can wa

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    hatch

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    GCN

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    Lennard Zinn and youtube

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    Park Tool has some great how to videos!

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    I started it when is was a kid ( thanks dad ), but the knowledge of how to do it professionally took me 15years. And some of those were intense sweatshop style years of slopping thinner on bike to clean them.

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    Youtube!

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    bicycle forum, youtube and advice of friends

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    My dad use to fix bikes as a side job. He was funny! He insisted I learn the basics. I am really glad he did teach me the basics. I haven't really had to do any repairs for a while. So I am not sure where to get parts.

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    SPAM

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    Many times local shops will run a clinic I would inquire at the service desk

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    I don't understand why people think wrenching on a bicycle is so difficult.
    If you have any mechanical ability whatsoever, it's not difficult to work on your bicycle with a minimum amount of standard tools.
    I learned to do it as a child by taking my bike apart and putting it back together.
    Sure I made some mistakes, but that's how I learned.
    There's nothing you can break or ruin that can't be easily repaired again.
    Honestly, the only time I've ever taken a bike to a shop is to have a dynamo laced into my front wheel and only because I was too lazy to do it myself.

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    Breaking stuff then fixing it. Mostly reading and and then getting dirty.

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    Thanks for the tips guys! I can fix stuff when they break but it is the preventative maintenance stuff that I don't get… because there are no obvious symptoms and I don't have the eye for it. I guess it's an experience thing! I have the Zinn book and will look into the Haynes and Anybody's book. Will look at youtube for SRAM, ParkTools, GCN, RJ the bike guy, and GMBN. I thought the tip to look at the LBS's maintenance package list as a reference to be a thoughtful tip. Thanks again everybody and good riding

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