How bad is this?
#26
No need. The crankset is fine. This thread is a variant of the semi-frequent ones where people who suddenly notice the uneven tooth height on their chainrings complain that the rings shouldn't have worn that badly after only 100 miles of riding. As Peewee Herman would say: they meant to do that.
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You are always the same age inside.---Gertrude Stein
My aluminum bikes: Light, strong, cheap, and comfy.
You are always the same age inside.---Gertrude Stein
My aluminum bikes: Light, strong, cheap, and comfy.
#27
#28
Really Old Senior Member


Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 14,610
Likes: 1,861
From: Mid Willamette Valley, Orygun
Bikes: 87 RockHopper,2008 Specialized Globe. Both upgraded to 9 speeds. 2019 Giant Explore E+3
#29
Thread Starter
Newbie
Joined: Apr 2026
Posts: 31
Likes: 26
Be warned, bicycle mechanicing is not the same as other sorts; well it can be more like setting up a multi-carb system than changing a water pump. More modern stuff is more likely to come with instructions including torque settings and adjusting procedures and even digital diagnostics, but there's still a lot of setting stuff by eye or ear or feel.

2.4 "psi"

Electric drive motor out of a crown forklift
Maybe new Ebikes can get complicated once they involve can-bus systems but even then.. or a wet brake system on a toyota im not scarred hahaha you called it mechanicing
#30
Thread Starter
Newbie
Joined: Apr 2026
Posts: 31
Likes: 26
Thank you for the info!
Thank you fir the information with the cheap versions of shift pins. Thisthread been interesting in who is and isnt knowledgeable sure im new to bicycles but whoever said its worn out is incorrect its a garage kept barely rode find! Still has factory tires on it with nipples 🤣😂
#31
#32
Thread Starter
Newbie
Joined: Apr 2026
Posts: 31
Likes: 26
Not being mean but this is exactly the sort of mistake that auto/equipment mechanics make when they think their skills translate directly to bicycles. Several of us here have considerable experience with cars, trucks, motorcycles, but I don't think any of them would claim that helps much with bicycles. Does my experience welding car bodies transfer to my ability as a bicycle frame builder? They both have "too hot" as an important factor, but beyond that they use different processes, different materials ...
that analogy is just dumb. Did I start in cars? Sure. Flat rate sucks went to RVs and trailers. Then moved down south and went to tractors and forklifts. Thats like saying because I only have car experience in dont know how to fill a tractor tire with washer fluid.
Anyway
Same thing with a quality mechanic. If it has moving parts he should be able to figure it out and fix it. If not hes a parts changer. We do t have the choice i. The field sometimes. I get the point of feel and eye. But if you dont have that natrually you prob should put the wrench down. Add repair manuels ontop of that and yeah if a trade mechanic cant do it.. A bike doesnt even have as many parts as a single wet brake system or have enough hydraulic pressure to cut you to the bone. Theres nothing on a bicycle mechanically that scares me to fix. Even if it takes me a try or 3. Its a $50 junk yard bicycle not $150k forklift or $400k combine. Im not scared of breaking a part that I can find in the garbage pile on bulk garbage day. Again not being mean its just the truth even your crazy $6000 carbon bikes. I deal with batteries that cost more lmao if im on here asking a question its because I haven't touched it yet. Ntm the tools...
the eliteism here is absolutely wild. I always knew cyclists were snobs (not all of you) but damn this forum set it in stone. God forbid im confident in myself and my work to work on a 30 year old bicycle. Fk what i know about equipment and systems a bike tech would scream in horror just looking at.
Last edited by Kmeyer93; 04-28-26 at 11:35 AM.
#33
Really Old Senior Member


Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 14,610
Likes: 1,861
From: Mid Willamette Valley, Orygun
Bikes: 87 RockHopper,2008 Specialized Globe. Both upgraded to 9 speeds. 2019 Giant Explore E+3
Tbh if your a quality welder it 100% should transfer i should be able to give you a schematic and you should be able to 100% build it as a quality welder. Thats literally there job. The too hot is just silly... it either is a good weld or isnt. Ask an iron worker......
the eliteism here is absolutely wild. I always knew cyclists were snobs (not all of you) but damn this forum set it in stone. God forbid im confident in myself and my work to work on a 30 year old bicycle. Fk what i know about equipment and systems a bike tech would scream in horror just looking at.
the eliteism here is absolutely wild. I always knew cyclists were snobs (not all of you) but damn this forum set it in stone. God forbid im confident in myself and my work to work on a 30 year old bicycle. Fk what i know about equipment and systems a bike tech would scream in horror just looking at.
If you have mechanical aptitude, you have mechanical aptitude.
Bicycles still have some "quirks" compared to other mechanical things.
I served an apprenticeship as a Boilermaker in Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and I've assembled, calibrated & repaired state of the art optical oceanographic instruments.
I still learned more "new stuff" on bicycles than I would have expected.
You need to deal with more bicycles & repairs before you presume everything is simple.
You learn who to ignore.
Some just want a high post count and just have to have the last post, no matter how inane.
some have the thinking level of a 10 year old. IF they haven't seen it, it doesn't exist.
Just ignore the idiots.Don't feed the trolls.
#34
Senior Member




Joined: Jul 2015
Posts: 7,327
Likes: 3,195
From: NW Oregon
Bikes: 1982 Trek 930R Custom, '91 Diamondback Ascent w/ XT, XTR updates, Fuji Team Pro CF road flyer, Specialized Sirrus Gravel Convert, '09 Comencal Meta 5.5 XC, '02 Marin MBX500, '84 Gitane Criterium bike
Tbh if your a quality welder it 100% should transfer i should be able to give you a schematic and you should be able to 100% build it as a quality welder. Thats literally there job. The too hot is just silly... it either is a good weld or isnt. Ask an iron worker.
that analogy is just dumb. Did I start in cars? Sure. Flat rate sucks went to RVs and trailers. Then moved down south and went to tractors and forklifts. Thats like saying because I only have car experience in dont know how to fill a tractor tire with washer fluid.
Anyway
Same thing with a quality mechanic. If it has moving parts he should be able to figure it out and fix it. If not hes a parts changer. We do t have the choice i. The field sometimes. I get the point of feel and eye. But if you dont have that natrually you prob should put the wrench down. Add repair manuels ontop of that and yeah if a trade mechanic cant do it.. A bike doesnt even have as many parts as a single wet brake system or have enough hydraulic pressure to cut you to the bone. Theres nothing on a bicycle mechanically that scares me to fix. Even if it takes me a try or 3. Its a $50 junk yard bicycle not $150k forklift or $400k combine. Im not scared of breaking a part that I can find in the garbage pile on bulk garbage day. Again not being mean its just the truth even your crazy $6000 carbon bikes. I deal with batteries that cost more lmao if im on here asking a question its because I haven't touched it yet. Ntm the tools...
the eliteism here is absolutely wild. I always knew cyclists were snobs (not all of you) but damn this forum set it in stone. God forbid im confident in myself and my work to work on a 30 year old bicycle. Fk what i know about equipment and systems a bike tech would scream in horror just looking at.
that analogy is just dumb. Did I start in cars? Sure. Flat rate sucks went to RVs and trailers. Then moved down south and went to tractors and forklifts. Thats like saying because I only have car experience in dont know how to fill a tractor tire with washer fluid.
Anyway
Same thing with a quality mechanic. If it has moving parts he should be able to figure it out and fix it. If not hes a parts changer. We do t have the choice i. The field sometimes. I get the point of feel and eye. But if you dont have that natrually you prob should put the wrench down. Add repair manuels ontop of that and yeah if a trade mechanic cant do it.. A bike doesnt even have as many parts as a single wet brake system or have enough hydraulic pressure to cut you to the bone. Theres nothing on a bicycle mechanically that scares me to fix. Even if it takes me a try or 3. Its a $50 junk yard bicycle not $150k forklift or $400k combine. Im not scared of breaking a part that I can find in the garbage pile on bulk garbage day. Again not being mean its just the truth even your crazy $6000 carbon bikes. I deal with batteries that cost more lmao if im on here asking a question its because I haven't touched it yet. Ntm the tools...
the eliteism here is absolutely wild. I always knew cyclists were snobs (not all of you) but damn this forum set it in stone. God forbid im confident in myself and my work to work on a 30 year old bicycle. Fk what i know about equipment and systems a bike tech would scream in horror just looking at.
get the KoolStops.
and just wait until you get the chance to hear a CF seatpost splinter as you barely over-torque the seatpost clamp...
i retired from general mechanics(M/C, ATV, Ag, Const., and Golf Course maint. equipment, mostly), and came back to bikes as a hobby... i still have a ton to learn as i build and repair what you describe as "simple". i once diagnosed a running problem on a Kubota KX-080 excavator that was caused by........ a pile of about 2 dozen apple cores behind the seat.
3 other mechanics had not paid notice to the acidic garbage that corroded the main harness connections, including the fuel solenoid hold signal wire, buried deep inside a foot of cast iron bulkhead..... before being a general mechanic i assembled, dialed in, operated, tore down and moved large Rock PA systems, while being the stage manager too.... it was far easier than some bike repairs.
build a wheel up soon.
most skilled welders either refuse to weld bike tubing, or quickly learn to refuse to weld bike tubing, btw.... a highly skilled TIG Welder can usually do ok at it...
remember.. the correct lever pull ratio, quality cable housing, and new/fresh/correctly set up pads make the true difference in rim braking, not a bunch of opinions on an SM site.
and i'd advise dripping some pb blaster into the freewheel..the grease in there is as old as the rest of the bike... the pb will loosen it up for a while...
and, have you done axle bearing, headset, and bottom bracket grease renewals yet? they need it too.
those tasks require a selection of special bicycle tools to complete properly.
ever revived a dead Onan gen.? been there, many times... the Green Monster hiding under many old RVs.
that same engine is used in an array of Golf equip. too. the first one i rebuilt was buried deep inside a cart path sweeper.
Last edited by maddog34; 04-28-26 at 01:06 PM.
#35
#36
Mad bike riding scientist




Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 29,136
Likes: 6,181
From: Denver, CO
Bikes: Some silver ones, a red one, a black and orange one, and a few titanium ones
the eliteism here is absolutely wild. I always knew cyclists were snobs (not all of you) but damn this forum set it in stone. God forbid im confident in myself and my work to work on a 30 year old bicycle. Fk what i know about equipment and systems a bike tech would scream in horror just looking at.
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Stuart Black
Dreamin' of Bemidji Down the Mississippi (in part)
Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
Stuart Black
Dreamin' of Bemidji Down the Mississippi (in part)
Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
#37
Thread Starter
Newbie
Joined: Apr 2026
Posts: 31
Likes: 26
How about mirror welding in a nuclear reactor?
If you have mechanical aptitude, you have mechanical aptitude.
Bicycles still have some "quirks" compared to other mechanical things.
I served an apprenticeship as a Boilermaker in Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and I've assembled, calibrated & repaired state of the art optical oceanographic instruments.
I still learned more "new stuff" on bicycles than I would have expected.
You need to deal with more bicycles & repairs before you presume everything is simple.
You learn who to ignore.
Some just want a high post count and just have to have the last post, no matter how inane.
some have the thinking level of a 10 year old. IF they haven't seen it, it doesn't exist.
Just ignore the idiots.Don't feed the trolls.
If you have mechanical aptitude, you have mechanical aptitude.
Bicycles still have some "quirks" compared to other mechanical things.
I served an apprenticeship as a Boilermaker in Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and I've assembled, calibrated & repaired state of the art optical oceanographic instruments.
I still learned more "new stuff" on bicycles than I would have expected.
You need to deal with more bicycles & repairs before you presume everything is simple.
You learn who to ignore.
Some just want a high post count and just have to have the last post, no matter how inane.
some have the thinking level of a 10 year old. IF they haven't seen it, it doesn't exist.
Just ignore the idiots.Don't feed the trolls.





