Utility Cycling - How are your mechanical abilities?

I started messing around with bikes using general purpose tools. I think if I drew a chart of my slowly increasing competence, it would correspond with the purchase of bike-specific tools. First tire levers, then a chain tool, then a freewheel tool, then a crank extractor. One thing I wish I'd invested in earlier is a repair stand. The Park PCS-9 reduced my frustration (and back fatigue) dramatically. I still have tons to learn and that's why it's nice to have a trusted LBS to bail me out when I get in over my head, which happens pretty regularly.

after having my bike messed up (scratched and scuffed paint, not fixed properly, wrong parts, cable housing routed wrong) several times by the LBS, i refuse to let anyone wrench on my rides anymore. They only exception is wheelbuilding, but i go to a real wheel builder and not a shop 'parts changer".

For learning, books, and check local colleges and universities etc, call them up and ask if they have courses. My local has them and I am about to sign up for a wheelbuilding course as that is the only thing I don't feel comfortable with. If you get into Toronto, 400 King Street West is MEC, www.mec.ca their bicycle dept has some cheap parts, a pretty comprehensive Filzer toolkit for $150 ish and talk to the sales guys and ask if they know somewhere you can take a course. See if there is a local bike group that can offer advice. Its fun, and comparatively cheap if you screw up. (compared to a car) :)

Mine are decent. I've bought tools as needed.

My only problem are the beige carpets on my apartment floor and no space to do repairs, so sadly, right now I am entrusting repairs to the LBS.

Mine are decent. I've bought tools as needed.

My only problem are the beige carpets on my apartment floor and no space to do repairs, so sadly, right now I am entrusting repairs to the LBS.

I had that problem...and now my wife put in white carpets:eek: I used to put down a nice blue tarp on the floor prior to working on my bike, but mark it to remember which side was down...:rolleyes: I have done most of my own repairs for years. The only thing I currently farm out is frame work.

Aaron:)

Hey 'Boo. Look on this thing as a process. IMHO, this part your journey is all about having a safe and reliable machine under you. Focus on those things that have a high probability of failure on the road. You've already identified the number-one issue, flats. To overcome your anxiety read up, get a friend, get all the stuff you'll need and conquer flats. Start with the front wheel and just take the tire and tube off and replace it. It'll take a while at first, but you'll find there're a dozen of little phenoms that I call 'hand feedback'. . .the feel of all the different materials and forces that do some kind of cerebral 'magic' that cool down all that anxiety stuff. Don't ask about all the PopPsyc stuff; all I know is that this works. Conquer front wheel flats then move on to rear wheel flats. At this point you'll have enough confidence to move down the "failure on the road" stack. . .looks like re-hanging a chain should be near the top for you. Don't be afraid to make mistakes.

Good luck and please let us know how it's going.

I've heard folks saying that they got a flat out when riding and they didn't even know how to take the wheel off, so they called for a ride. "That's what I have a cell phone for!".

Now that's bad. (or is it lazy?)

Yep. Reminds me of the woman I knew in grad school who was an avid cyclist. Her tool kit: a comb. How to fix a flat tire with a comb? Procedure is simple:

1. Remove wheel and lean both it and the bike against sign at edge of road, to ensure the bike looks suitably disabled.
2. Remove helmet.
3. Comb hair.
4. Wait for car to stop and guy say "need any help?"

It worked! I don't recall whether she was in a phd program or an mrs program, though:rolleyes:.

Funny, I'm looking at this thread and thinking that bicycles are now where cars used to be at around the Model T era.

Rather, at that time, anyone who owned a car also needed to have a lot of mechanical aptitude if they expected to be driving the same car for more than a week. They had to have decent strength to hand crank the car (and not literally kill themselves in the process), they needed to understand the whole arcane starting ritual- more than just pulling the choke, I'm sure (I don't know, I'm not into old cars).

Then there came advances in reliability and durability and even creature comforts such as electric starters (heck, batteries instead of magnetos for that matter), power brakes, power steering, automatic transmissions, etc.

Bikes aren't at the level of reliability of cars- I'm sure my wife wouldn't be able to use one for a whole month (of daily use) without some sort of problem, either catastrophic or just annoying- flat, derailed chain, twisted bars, rubbing brake, wheel out of true, etc.

Then again, if bikes got to be as mindless to use as cars, maybe the bike lanes would be a lot more hazardous. Though, I guess there would be a natural weeding out....

Okay, that's a bit of a straw man- in many (most) third world countries bikes are the dominant beast of burden because they are so robust. So long as the thing can roll along, it'll still be serviceable for some purpose or other.

So, actually, bikes can be as simple or complicated as you're willing to make them. Yeah, you can accumulate a whole garage full of tools, have a library of all the repair manuals and be able to field strip a suspension fork blinfolded, spending lots of time learning everything and/or lots of money on the right equipment. Or you can choose to pay that $10 for a flat repair, maybe needing to call a friend to pick you up from the side of the road- heck, grab a taxi if you want to. In the short run it'll probably cost you less in time and money- once it starts to come to about parity you might start thinking about learing how to do more yourself. Or not.

When it comes to how much you can take care of your bike, choose your level of comfort and be satisfied with it (unless you're not satisfied until you're pushing your level of comfort/complacenty).

Up until the late 1960s, bikes were as or more reliable than cars and just as convenient to use. Then came the "ten speed revolution", and everything retrogressed to the Model T era, complete with special clothing to wear. There still are bikes that are as reliable as cars (I have one), but you have to really look for them. I'm hoping that this will change as more people with expectations based upon their motoring experience buy bikes for commuting and errands.

Paul

A lot depends on the bike and your expectations.

While the bikes I had in the 1960s were trouble free, the two I had in the 1970s were not. To put it differently, I graduated from the single speed of my youth to a Mustang (bike) and then to my first and second "10-speed" bikes in 1970 and 1976 respectively. I had to change the rear derailleur cable at least once a year and I had to readjust derailleur limit screws quite often because it seemed the chain would either not reach the granny - large cog or go overboard depending on weather, pressure level on pedals, etc.

The 18-speed turned 21-speed bike I got in 1980 was trouble free until I reached the 50 000 km mark, and I could say almost the same for the single and tandem touring bikes I got since year 2000. The Trek 520 got a premature rear wheel failure, but apart from that, gear and brake adjustments remain good. And I've got roughly 35 000 km on the 520 and about 5000 km on the Co-Motion tandem so far.

How does that compare to cars?
These days, with self service everywhere, one can't really drive a car without filling it up every 500 km and checking some fluids once in a while. On the bike, I have to fill in water bottles and food containers (smells better) and I also have to tune the shifter indexing and brake cable tension once in a while, which requires about the same skill level as filling gas. Brake pads need to be changed more frequently on the bike than on the car (once a year vs once every 3-4 years), so I think almost all maintenance work could be bundled up in a once- or twice-a-year visit to the bike shop.

The only "problem", I think, are flats. Flats are almost a thing of the past on cars. Good touring tires are almost trouble free, but flats still remain a possibility. As a matter of fact, I commute a good portion of the year (18 km each way) and ride year round; basically my maintenance/repair routine consists of:
- opening the door;
- take the bike outside;
- ride.

fair enough, know which end of the screwdriver to hold.
here's some pics of the current play toys, had to get rid of the big ones when I moved so all I have are the itty bitty ones.

http://picasaweb.google.com/merc2dogs/ShopToys

Ken

I learned how to work on bikes by tearing down my classic Bianchi from the bottom up. It was my first Italian bike and I found it to be quite easy. Now I build my own wheels and put together complete bikes for my own satisfaction. Having spent thirty years messing with my bikes I find that I like my bikes to be tuned at all time.

I started by getting frustrated paying mechanic fees so i decided it would cost just as much to get the parts and tools i needed and now i'm a mechanic at a bike parking station. I learn from running into new problems and figuring them out and reading them up.

I got a steal of a deal on a good set of bike tools when I walked into a bike shop that was having a going out of business sale. On the way home, I stopped at Barnes & Noble and bought bicycling magazines repair book. I have done all my own wrenching ever since, with very few problems. It takes a while to get the knack of derailleur adjustments, but once you get it, it's never a problem.
The only things I would have a shop do are headset replacement and wheel truing. Everything else is easy. Headsets aren't difficult, but the tools are expensive and it's a job you rarely do. If you are mechanically adept, go for it. You will save a lot of money, and your ride will be in great shape all the time.
The most important thing to remember is that bikes are really simple machines. bk

fair enough, know which end of the screwdriver to hold.
here's some pics of the current play toys, had to get rid of the big ones when I moved so all I have are the itty bitty ones.

http://picasaweb.google.com/merc2dogs/ShopToys

Ken

Wow! you've got a shaper, - I always wanted one of those :D

I've done everything on my bikes except change the bottom bracket.... including building a few (3) wheels.

Picking it up as I go along. Haven't paid for bike shop service since high school - and even then I think my dad and I handled about everything.

I'm currently rebuilding an old road bike as a single speed beater. Sheldon Brown's website has been amazing. I'll go to research something, find exactly what I need, then spend another hour reading about the history of three-piece cranks and his left-hand-drive three-speed fixie. I'm sure he saved me hours of pain tonight with the instructions on removing cottered cranks.

Tools get pricy but it's fun. I'll probably need to pick up a headset wrench, chain whip and a cassette tool soon.

Wow! you've got a shaper, - I always wanted one of those :D

Oh yeah, they're fun and very handy for a lot of jobs.
That one may be hitting Ebay soon, been looking at a 20" nearby that I can get fairly cheap.

Ken.