kk42

My bike is supposed to arrive sometime tomorrow and I'm starting to realize all the things I will need in order to be ready to ride. If anyone could please maybe give me a list of somethings I will need and why I need it I would appreciate it. Also i was told by a friend that I would most likely need a presta valve? I've honestly never even heard of such a thing so I figured I would go to my lbs and buy an adapter but I'm not sure if i need it or not. Also I know that it's recommended to grease some parts but I'm not sure what kind of grease is needed nor do I know what parts should be greased :/.

seanifred

i hate google, too.

GENESTARWIND

Take your bike to your local bike shop, have them disassemble, lube and check over it and put it together. Maybe 50?

Then talk with then about simple bike maintenance.

Huffandstuff

Yup, I was going to tell him he needs 60 bucks to pay the LBS to assemble his bike.

kk42

was hoping to avoid the obvious option however I'd rather save the money + get the experience first hand. Also all LBS that I can easily get too are mainly BMX shops and most of the people who work their are teens who probably would do a half ass job leaving me an unhappy customer.

Nagrom_

Sounds like you're generalizing. Stop doing that.

And regardless of how half assed of a job you think they'll do, it's probably a better of a job than the guy asking what a presta valve is can do.

kk42

so you are telling me to bring a new bike to a bike shop filled with a bunch of bmx riders to assemble a bike that is already 90% assembled and most likely do a half assed job and pay them 50-70$? while someone could simply just give me the information i asked for instead of obvious choices so i could save money along with learn about what I will most likely have to be doing eventually again.

Philasteve

I hate this forum anymore.

kk42

i dont understand u people... the forum should be used to help newbies gain knowledge but instead u just give smartass replies which is definitley not better than just ignoring the question

GENESTARWIND

Don't ask for help if you're going to ignore it.

GENESTARWIND

Plus you're obviously inexperienced. Going to your local bike shop and having them do the work is better than you ****ing things up.

Plus you can always ask them to show you how to do routine maintenance and the more complicated things. Most which would be happy to show you.

Nagrom_

You aren't asking anything new. This has all been discussed ad nauseum. Do some research before you start a thread that's so beaten into the ground.

Find out what a presta valve and report back.

Honkylips

Based on your questioning of what a presta valve is, people are (probably correctly) assuming that you are new to this stuff (as am I btw). Spending $60 to get things done properly the first time, and then learning as you go along is probably a good way to start off. I'm a huge fan of doing stuff and learning on my own, but that can also be an easy way to get frustrated and fug stuff up. Get the bike set up properly the first time. Enjoy riding it, and then enjoy learning more about the bike as you maintain and upgrade it.

kk42

like i already said the only local bike shop is not like the usual shops... If i brought the bike there i can almost gaurantee they would simply put the parts on without lubing or greasing anything...i have brought my bmx bike there and they did a ****ty job many times

GENESTARWIND

There can't be only one bike shop in your area, or one within driving distance...

kk42

theres two however one is basically rat infested and run down and the other is the bmx shop...i can drive like 30min away to go to a nice bs but i have school and sports so i wośld have to wait till the weekend just to get out to a shop

Huffandstuff

Waiting till the weekend to get your bike built is a lot better than ham fisting it and breaking a seat collar bolt, right Nagrom?

Nagrom_

Material failure. I used a torque wrench.

ThimbleSmash

But that is how it works around here anymore. They ask the questions, we answer, they ignore the answer because it wasn't the one they were looking for. We hammer them over the head insisting what to do and if we are lucky they come to terms with what we said. Rinse & Repeat as needed.

hueyhoolihan

i'd suggest putting this in the Bicycle Mechanics Forum.

rms13

Google is your friend.

with that said there is no reason to pay someone to put a ssfg bike together. Get an adjustable wrench, metric Allen key set, pliers, shop grease and then Google some YouTube videos and watch them

Jared.

There you go. You also need a tire pump, one that accepts.......presta valves.
Search YouTube. I've found comprehensive videos each and every time I've needed a reference for bike maintenance.

europa

Mate, your SS is just a big BMX bike, your local shops WILL be able to put it together ... and unstuff any stuffups you make. While it's true a lot of shops have jerks manning them, you'll also find that a lot do not and age and gender is no indicator (there are a lot of fixie riders less than 20 and a lot of BMX riders who also ride something bigger and gals who know and do more than most of us on this forum).

As a grumpy old bastard who is viewed by most roadie bike shops as some form of interesting heretic, even with my road bikes, I've found that if you approach people politely and give them a chance, the good ones come to the fore very quickly and it's often amazing where you'll gain understanding and support when you take this approach. Of course, genuine cycling enthusiasts are always interested in something different and as a fixie rider, you're definitely going to provide some variety to their day.

Of course, I'm bizarre enough to develop good relationships with my local bike shops rather than just automatically go to the internet. My lbs has done work for little or no charge, simply because I bought the parts from them and buy lots of other stuff from them. They remain an endless source of advice and counseling, even though they are a roadie shop and I definitely am nothing like that. But I've taken the trouble to talk to my shops, to get to know them and to give them some reason to smile when I come in, even if it's just a nice chat or to ask about something weird they don't get to address very often.

The price to get your lbs to put your bike together? Well, you can hand over some cash and ride away utterly clueless and, because you haven't learned anything about your bike, you'll probably **** something simple up OR, you can invest some time and money into the exercise, learn ****loads, gain a friend or three and actually enjoy your cycling because over time, you'll learn lots about how your bike works.

Incidentally, this is a general sort of post, not simply having a go at you.

bmontgomery87

at minimum:

helmet
bike lock
extra tubes
floor pump
tire levers


And as everyone else said, get your bike setup at your local LBS. And again, don't ask for people's help if you won't take it.

IAmSam

Who is it that constantly talks people with no clue about working on bikes into buying them unassembled off the interwebz? When these guys then ask for assistance putting their bikes together, instead of castigating them, the Bikesdirect salesmen here should help them a lot more than telling them to take it to a shop. Or while selling them on what a great deal a Kilo is, at least alert them in advance to the hidden additional cost of paying to get their bike built and adjusted if they can't do it.