If you get a REAL bike with a Rohloff14, Sturmey Archer drum brake in the front, Phil Wood BB, Schwalbe tires, then there will be little need for learning or futzing. SA 3 spd will run forever with a rebuild and lube once a year or 2.

And who rebuilds this stuff. The shop or you?

If its the shop, that's what the OP is trying to avoid. If it's you, how did you learn? That's what the OP wants to know.

Fwiw, I run a Sram Force 22 groupset, and for two yrs, until I needed a new chain, the only futzing I've done involved adjusting barrel adjusters.

For basic maintenance there is also REI. They have quite a few classes in my area, and I'm sure others offer the same. Most are free, except for the hands-on classes where you bring your own bike.

They are - "How to change a tire", "Basic Maintenance 1", "Basic maintenance 2", "Hands-on Bike Maintenance -Basic" - "Hands-on Bike Maintenance - Intermediate" (the last 2 have a small fee). They have a class on cleaning & detailing the bike, a hands-on road/trail side repair class, and a fitting/adjustment class.

I have taken a few of them and they are great for those who learn better by seeing/doing in person with others.
Some of our lbs offer classes as well.

Otherwise, I use youtube.

Talk your way into getting a job at a bike shop. If that's not possible, books are good but the video's by Art's Cyclery and the folks at GCN (Global Cycling Network) and GMBN (Global Mountain Biking Network (Same org) on YouTube are even better. Pick your oldest and crappiest bike and over-haul it. You learn by doing.

^This is the best advice in this thread, imo.

:lol:

You're the kind of person that turns newbies away from cycling. Keep up the good work. :twitchy:

To the OP, as was already stated a couple times here bikes are easy to work on. Just take your time. Pick one part of the bike to learn about at a time. If you need new brake pads learn how to install them, but at the same time learn how your brakes work - read about them using the resources already described here, then go look at them and you'll see how they work. Once you see how something works you'll understand how to adjust it and fix it.

Just a thought...
Here in Adelaide, we have a service that provides bikes to refugees and other people who need transport but can't afford it - typically they take old donor bikes and do them up. If you've such a service in your area, go hang out with them, help repair bikes, maybe take one home, strip it and rebuild it, then donate it. Working with the other 'mechanics' will teach you all sorts of lurks, tricks and methods, rebuilding one yourself for donation might cost you cash now, but will repay itself in experience when your own bike puts its hand up for work.

Rebuilding bikes is a great hobby. The problem we tend to face is winding up with a shed full of the things so giving them away isn't as bizarre as it sounds.

I bought a beat-up 40-ur old bike for $15 and determined to take it apart, clean, and re-lube everything, every hub, and replace the cables and housings and brake pads and tires...I figured if I destroyed it, no big deal...learned a lot...and it turned out OK.

Still, I would take my nice bike to the shop if wheel or bottom bracket he s needed re-greasing...not that confident on that yet.

Good specific advise in this thread, and I'd just like to add an idea in general how to start. As I see it there are roughly three levels to DIY bike mechanics: adjustments, taking apart and assembly, and troubleshooting. We need to master them in order.

Adjustments is basically if you can take all of the cables off, and chain, and replace them with new ones.

Assembly is if you can take off the components, bottom bracket and hubs, replace worn parts, and re-assemble correctly.

Troubleshooting is applying the knowledge of the first two, along with mechanical aptitude or experience, to deduce which parts are failing for a particular issue.

There are other levels, such as detailed knowledge of current bikes and bike technology, historical, etc, but they are more in the domain of a pro IMO and not that necessary for a DIY mechanic working on his own bikes.

My favorites have already been mentioned: Sheldon Brown, Park Tools, and old BF threads for reading; GCN and Art's for videos; bike shop or community classes for more advanced skills.

Above all else, don't be intimidated by the bike. Most novice mechanics screw something up. I always take my bike for a test ride around the neighborhood after a repair, just to make sure that everything is working okay.

Public Library, Bike Mechanics books are in the circulating collection, to check out and borrow to read at home.


Thorough?
UBI, aka 'Bikeschool.com' United Bicycle Institute







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