Upside down or right side up?
#1
Retro Grouch
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Santa Cruz
Posts: 2,210
Bikes: Yes
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time
in
1 Post
Upside down or right side up?
Occasionally I will stop to help bike riders broke down on the road. While mainly flat tires I also see broken and sucked chains and derailleur cable problems. What seems to almost be a trend is many of these cyclist turn their bikes upside down to try and find out what's wrong. If they ask for help the first thing I do is right the bike mainly because I can't mount a rear tire on an upside down bike. Is it just me, or is there a correlation between those that don't know how to work on or fix their bikes and those that turn it upside down on the road?
#2
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2012
Posts: 354
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
I typically turn my bikes upside down to work on them, and I perform all of my own bike repairs (including complete rebuilds).
#3
Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: New Rochelle, NY
Posts: 38,546
Bikes: too many bikes from 1967 10s (5x2)Frejus to a Sumitomo Ti/Chorus aluminum 10s (10x2), plus one non-susp mtn bike I use as my commuter
Mentioned: 139 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 5703 Post(s)
Liked 2,433 Times
in
1,346 Posts
For almost a century folks turned bikes upside down to work on them. The handlebar and seat made a perfect tripod.
Drop bars broke most of the habit because doing so damaged the brake cables where they left the lever. In the sixties and seventies, Cable housings folded at the top of the lever were about as common as white bread.
Nowadays, with aero brake levers, there's no longer a reason not to flip a bike over when working in the field. It's not my cup of tea, but there's no problem either.
Drop bars broke most of the habit because doing so damaged the brake cables where they left the lever. In the sixties and seventies, Cable housings folded at the top of the lever were about as common as white bread.
Nowadays, with aero brake levers, there's no longer a reason not to flip a bike over when working in the field. It's not my cup of tea, but there's no problem either.
__________________
FB
Chain-L site
An ounce of diagnosis is worth a pound of cure.
Just because I'm tired of arguing, doesn't mean you're right.
“One accurate measurement is worth a thousand expert opinions” - Adm Grace Murray Hopper - USN
WARNING, I'm from New York. Thin skinned people should maintain safe distance.
FB
Chain-L site
An ounce of diagnosis is worth a pound of cure.
Just because I'm tired of arguing, doesn't mean you're right.
“One accurate measurement is worth a thousand expert opinions” - Adm Grace Murray Hopper - USN
WARNING, I'm from New York. Thin skinned people should maintain safe distance.
#5
S'Cruzer
you could often invert a old school road bike on a picnic table for emergency field repairs such that the handlebars were supported but the brake cables were over the edge. handy for readjusting the derailleur after a cable repair, truing a dinged wheel, etc.
#6
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2010
Posts: 8,951
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 14 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 13 Times
in
12 Posts
Personally, for simple things like a dropped chain, adjusting a DR, or removing/replacing a wheel for a flat I find no advantage in turning the bike upside down. Generally, to do so I'd have to remove my bike computer and water bottles, stuff would drop out of my open seatbag...
#7
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
Posts: 33,656
Bikes: '96 Litespeed Catalyst, '05 Litespeed Firenze, '06 Litespeed Tuscany, '20 Surly Midnight Special, All are 3x10. It is hilly around here!
Mentioned: 39 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2026 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1,095 Times
in
741 Posts
For a front wheel flat (rare) I'll stand the bike upright on the fork dropouts after I remove the wheel. For a rear flat, I remove the wheel with the bike upright and lay it down on the non-drive side while I change the tube and then hold it upright while reinstalling the rear wheel. I don't want to turn the bike upside down and scuff up the saddle and brifters.
#8
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2005
Posts: 7,487
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 140 Post(s)
Liked 162 Times
in
89 Posts
For a front wheel flat (rare) I'll stand the bike upright on the fork dropouts after I remove the wheel. For a rear flat, I remove the wheel with the bike upright and lay it down on the non-drive side while I change the tube and then hold it upright while reinstalling the rear wheel. I don't want to turn the bike upside down and scuff up the saddle and brifters.
#9
incazzare.
I find it much easier to remove and replace a rear wheel on the road when the bike is upside down. I have a work stand at home, but on the road having the bike upside down makes life easier. I put something under the saddle (tool roll or saddlebag) and levers (gloves or whatever else I have) to avoid marks.
So to answer your question:
No. Lots of us who know what we are doing do this.
So to answer your question:
No. Lots of us who know what we are doing do this.
__________________
1964 JRJ (Bob Jackson), 1973 Wes Mason, 1974 Raleigh Gran Sport, 1986 Schwinn High Sierra, 2000ish Colian (Colin Laing), 2011 Dick Chafe, 2013 Velo Orange Pass Hunter
1964 JRJ (Bob Jackson), 1973 Wes Mason, 1974 Raleigh Gran Sport, 1986 Schwinn High Sierra, 2000ish Colian (Colin Laing), 2011 Dick Chafe, 2013 Velo Orange Pass Hunter
#10
Banned
got used to coping with a loaded touring bike, & doing wheel removals laying the load down,
trying to remember to loosen brake and hub QR , first..
trying to remember to loosen brake and hub QR , first..
#11
Senior Member
Occasionally I will stop to help bike riders broke down on the road. While mainly flat tires I also see broken and sucked chains and derailleur cable problems. What seems to almost be a trend is many of these cyclist turn their bikes upside down to try and find out what's wrong. If they ask for help the first thing I do is right the bike mainly because I can't mount a rear tire on an upside down bike. Is it just me, or is there a correlation between those that don't know how to work on or fix their bikes and those that turn it upside down on the road?
Why not??
OP: "Is it just me,"?
Probably...why do you care how someone plops down their bike...?
#12
Senior Member
Fietsbob; As almost always, finding I agree with your line of thinking. But I have no idea if the OP was actually constantly finding broken loaded touring bikers along side of the road and he just forgot to mention it... We should ask the Shadow to get on this Forum as the Shadow always knows...
#13
Retro Grouch
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Santa Cruz
Posts: 2,210
Bikes: Yes
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time
in
1 Post
When I was a kid riding BMX and/or coaster brakes bikes, I always flipped the bike, but when I started riding derailleur bikes with non-aero brake levers, I didn't want to smash down the cables and later with aero brakes and brifters I didn't want to damage the top of the hoods. Also when I started paying $50-$150 for a saddle, I did want it all scratched up either.
#14
Retro Grouch
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Santa Cruz
Posts: 2,210
Bikes: Yes
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time
in
1 Post
Fietsbob; As almost always, finding I agree with your line of thinking. But I have no idea if the OP was actually constantly finding broken loaded touring bikers along side of the road and he just forgot to mention it... We should ask the Shadow to get on this Forum as the Shadow always knows...
Last edited by onespeedbiker; 01-08-13 at 01:55 PM.
#15
Banned
Im living on the Pac Coast Route now , the touring cyclists went through the Case-lot of ODOT free, coast route maps,
but of that 500 or so, only a few per day need the services of the LBS..
but of that 500 or so, only a few per day need the services of the LBS..
#16
S'Cruzer
used to be great Pacific Coast Bike Route signage all on that route, I rode the monterey->scruz->monterey route a bunch of times in the 70s/80s. sadly, the signs are largely damaged and gone, and haven't been replaced.
#17
Mechanic/Tourist
Whatever works. I happen to rarely work on bikes upside-down. If it's a drive train problem I typically turn the bars to the side and then put the bike nose down so the rear wheel is free and the drive train is at a good height.
#18
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
Posts: 2,061
Bikes: 2012 Trek DS 8.5 all weather hybrid, 2008 LeMond Poprad cyclocross, 1992 Cannondale R500 roadbike
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
The Shimano doc on my hydraulic disk brakes advises that you should not turn the bike upside down or on its side as this can cause the air bubble in the reservoir to travel down into the calipers and cause the bike to lose braking or at least braking force.
#19
Senior Member
Nowadays, with aero brake levers, there's no longer a reason not to flip a bike over when working in the field. It's not my cup of tea, but there's no problem either.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
Tay
General Cycling Discussion
8
05-04-14 09:35 AM
howieleem
Singlespeed & Fixed Gear
6
06-27-13 03:09 AM