Living Car Free - become a mechanic?

i have, I've been riding my bike for over 6 months now...there is always something to tune or adjust of fix on the bike, even with just commuter wear...i'm surprised, more wear & tear than i would have though

my apartment is sort of a shop

i have, I've been riding my bike for over 6 months now...there is always something to tune or adjust of fix on the bike, even with just commuter wear...i'm surprised, more wear & tear than i would have though

my apartment is sort of a shop

Welcome to the club! Contrary to what many of the sunny day weekend warriors may believe, bikes that get used do need frequent maintenance. That’s especially true in this winter weather. I can’t say that I love bike maintenance, but over the years I’ve learned to do all of my work myself to save time and money. To cut down on maintenance, I like my single speeds in the winter because the drive train is simple and doesn't need much besides occasional lube. But in any case, the basement of my house serves as a pretty well supplied bike shop. Have fun...

have you considered riding fixed? Spec everything with sealed cartridge bearings and maintinance is minimal. It's pretty much limited to lubing your chain every now and then.

I guess it also depends on what you are willing to accept. My winter bike's shifting, for example, is currently a far cry from butter smooth. But it does not bother me, as deraillures and the entire shifting mechanism would be sluggish at best at these conditions. I would be adjusting it el pronto, if it were summer.

For minimal maintenance go SS or fixed. In extreme weather single speed can happen anyways :). Or use a gearhub.

--J

Yup,s/s is the way to go .I haven't been in a bike shop for over a year. Brake pads,and a chain every once in awhile and thats about it--JJ

Also,inspite of the myth,s/s is the best thing in the world for your knee's.35plus years of riding had taken their toll on mine s/s breathed new life in em

OK, I realize I'm a minority voice here but I've had good experience with internal gear hubs and fully enclosed chain cases. In about 1998 or so I got a new steel frame bike with a Shimano Nexus 7 hub. I wore the frame out by late 2004 and gave the wheels to a neighbor. He put that same hub on another bike. Now I've had a Trek Navigator L200 and Nexus 8 gearing since Fall 2004 with no drive problems. 1 broken spoke and 1 rear tire replacement and 1 flat tire before I put the Mr. Tuffy in. The Nexus 8 is a smoother shifter than the 7 and smoother than the SRAM 7 I had before that. The integral generator lighting system has had no problems. When you get a new Nexus hub or mess with the cables the adjustment is very easy, put it in 4th gear and turn the little knob until the marks line up.

I'm one of those people who like the simplicity of these fixed gear bikes but worry about the knees.

I will add to the chorus of fixed gear proponents. It's definitely the way to go. But on the other hand, a lot of commuters around here ride the crappiest mountain bikes and comfort bikes possible in order to discourage theft (at least I'm assuming that's why, maybe they are just broke) and of course, better components need less maintenance.

As far as Shimano Nexus goes... YUCK!!!!! I work in a bike shop and have seen several generator systems quit functioning and no one could figure out why. The wiring is really crappy - Shimano should hang its corporate head in shame. The internal geared rear hub makes getting the rear wheel off a pain in the butt. A 1x9 system with a Shimano XT rear derailleur or SRAM X9 would be a much better option - lighter and more efficient. After all, the front derailleur is actually more problematic than the rear.

have you considered riding fixed? Spec everything with sealed cartridge bearings and maintinance is minimal. It's pretty much limited to lubing your chain every now and then.
And the occasional total knee replacement! :)

As far as Shimano Nexus goes... YUCK!!!!! I work in a bike shop and have seen several generator systems quit functioning and no one could figure out why. The wiring is really crappy - Shimano should hang its corporate head in shame. The internal geared rear hub makes getting the rear wheel off a pain in the butt. A 1x9 system with a Shimano XT rear derailleur or SRAM X9 would be a much better option - lighter and more efficient. After all, the front derailleur is actually more problematic than the rear.

My mistake. I didn't mean the shimano generator just the hub gearing. I've no experience with the shimano generator. My Schmidt generator hub works like a charm. I've owned Sturmy Archer, and SRAM/Sachs geared hubs too and find this Nexus 8 to be the smoothest. I've noticed that bike shop mechanics freak out about removing the rear wheel but you don't have to remove the rear wheel very often. It isn't that bad. To change a tire you don't have to remove everything, just one side. I've had to show several different mechanics how to deal with the rear wheel, including two of them at the shop that sells the bike. I took it in for the "free tuneup" but ended up showing them how to do things so never went back.

My mistake. I didn't mean the shimano generator just the hub gearing. I've no experience with the shimano generator. My Schmidt generator hub works like a charm. I've owned Sturmy Archer, and SRAM/Sachs geared hubs too and find this Nexus 8 to be the smoothest. I've noticed that bike shop mechanics freak out about removing the rear wheel but you don't have to remove the rear wheel very often. It isn't that bad. To change a tire you don't have to remove everything, just one side. I've had to show several different mechanics how to deal with the rear wheel, including two of them at the shop that sells the bike. I took it in for the "free tuneup" but ended up showing them how to do things so never went back.

I've been thinking about a geared rear hub; either shimano or rolohf (sp?). Can you explain the process of changing your tire with your shimano hub?

And the occasional total knee replacement! :)

That's a total myth. Just choose the right gear ratio and stand up when climbing hills. If anything, it will make youir knees stronger not damage them.

That's a total myth. Just choose the right gear ratio and stand up when climbing hills. If anything, it will make youir knees stronger not damage them.
Well, I select the right gear ratio for hills, descents and ice or snow every time I ride. I just change gears! :p

I think fixies are cool, but you'll never see a lot of 50 year old guys (like me) riding one. After a hard climb, I gotta sit back and rest while I'm coasting down the back side of those hills!

I've been thinking about a geared rear hub; either shimano or rolohf (sp?). Can you explain the process of changing your tire with your shimano hub?
I've owned several, heres how it went.

1) On my current bike, I need to remove the chain case. It pops off with a small screwdriver. This is to get at the bolt. On the other gear hubbed bikes I didn't need to mess with the chain guard.

2) Decide which side the tire will come off from. This probably depends on the type of rear brake. And also on the hardware the manufacturer used to mount things back there. Some Nexus hubs have coaster brakes some have cable brakes. On the current bike I remove the brake stuff because the shifter cable is on the chain side. It might be that the left side is always the side you would choose. With the coaster brakes you don't have a brake cable back there but you still have to disconnect a lever arm.

3) Remove what you need to from that side. Just loosen the stuff on the other side so you can wiggle the wheel. Of course you lay loose parts in order on a sheet of newspaper so you can put them back in the right order.

4) Pull the tire off, and replace it through the side with the stuff removed. The wheel stays attached to the bike, because you haven't removed anything from the other side of the wheel.

5) By loosening everything, it sometimes happens that the shifting gets out of whack. The Nexus hubs differ. The ones I've had, you put it in 4th gear and line up two marks. They were pink marks on the Nexus 7, visible from below. On the 8 there is a little window that you can look at from above so it is much easier to look down while turning the little knob. The SRAM had something called a click box. The device had two little arrows visible from above through a window. After the initial cable stretch on the Nexus 8 I haven't had to make any further adjustments even after changing a tire. On both Nexus 7s I've had to tweak it after moving the cable around for any reason.

Let me know how the Rohlof works if you go that route.