Maintence Poll

[Veronica]

I was wondering how many people do their own maintence - not watch someone else, but really do it yourself.

[snapdragen]

I've done stuff like cleaning, lubing, changing brake pads, minor stuff. Nothing like a major tune up though - Bleu goes to a pro for that.

[maillotpois]

I will:

change: tires/tubes, brake pads, bar tape, saddles, seat posts,
change and/or remove to clean: chain, rings, cassette
lube, clean: pretty much everything

DH will:

build a bike (put frame and gruppo and everything else together from little boxes and pieces)
change cables or major components (fork, bars, derailleurs). I helped with the cables last time on my bike, so I know how to do it, just haven't yet.

The bike shop will:

true wheels (especially my ksyriums)
refurbish BB, hubs

Seems like most of what we rely on the bike shop for is wheel or BB related.

[Eden]

hmmm - except for build a bike from scratch I've probably done most of the stuff on the list.
Wheel truing I mostly save for the experts - especially with my low spoke count wheels - but I did true the front wheel on my cross bike. I think its much easier since it has a lot of spokes and its a small wheel.
I put my aerobars on myself, which did involve recabling everthing, since I switched to aero brake levers and bar end shifters at the same time.
I've also repacked wheel bearings. I've never had to replace a whole derailleur, though I have put on new jockey wheels.
Some things I like to do myself - like adjust my brakes, since I have a preference to how much play they have and if I set it myself then I always know what to expect. Some stuff I much prefer to leave to the pros, since they have the proper tools and know well how to use them - like BB maintenance. I tend to not do too well at adjusting derailleurs - I never seem to be able to figure out which way to turn.....
The hubby built both his rain bike and his TT bike up from the frame. I think with the TT bike he did have someone else press in the headset and cut the steerer though.

[bike4ever]

So am I cheating in this poll since I manage a bike shop? :p

I had a friend come into the shop yesterday to purchase a rigid Salsa fork that I was not using. I had it installed on her bike in under 1 hour - I'm not the fastest mechanic. She wanted to reinstall her disc brakes, so she took that bag of parts home. As of this message, her brakes aren't back on the fork.:rolleyes:

[smilingcat]

minor truing of wheel can do but a serious one I don't because I don't own a trueing stand. It seems cheaper for me to have some one do it than buy the equipment myself and spend the time... Or the aggravation of trying to lace up a wheel.

Otherwise, I pretty much do most myself. Sometimes my LBS insist that they'll do it for me for FREE. I always accept a free offer seeing that I like to be slacker. How nice of them :p :D

smilingcat

[Veronica]

So am I cheating in this poll since I manage a bike shop? :p



Nope, but I did look up your profile after seeing you could put an entire bike together. :D


V.

[Tuckervill]

I wish I had someone I trusted to do the maintenance on our bikes. Since the bike shops are so far away, we do it all ourselves. No shop has stood out as really worth it to make the drive every time.

Since we rebuilt son's bike from scratch, I feel pretty confident I *can* do it all. (We haven't relaced wheels, but we have a truing stand.) I don't always want to.

Karen

[bike4ever]

Veronica - I actually might be able to build up my new Salsa Ala Carte frame this week. I am just waiting on my X.9 components. Some stuff moves from my current bike; however, I am completely excited about the new Sram. I am definitely having way too much fun with this mountain bike craziness.

[SadieKate]

There's a big leap between truing wheels and building a bike from scratch, but I went ahead and checked it because I probably could. I can't press in a headset and I can't chase a bottom bracket. Mostly, because I don't have the tools (and they're too expensive to amortize against the number of bikes we build).

I still let experts take on some of the job just to get the absolute best touch. A very experienced mechanic can do it so fast and so much better, but then I love the feeling of having built it up myself (or a team effort with my sweetie).

[Tuckervill]

I don't work on modern bikes, so I don't have to worry about pressing in a headset. :)

I do have a lot of specialized tools, though. Some of the tools my hubby has for automotive stuff has been useful on the bikes, too.

Karen

[OakLeaf]

These days I draw the line at adjustments and replacing the wear items.

But once when I was young and stupid I took apart a freewheel just because. Holy cr*p that was a PITA getting it back together! :eek:

[mimitabby]

I'm pretty pathetic. I do some stuff, but not what is listed on here.

(I clean my bike, i have done tires and tubes but don't always)
I also do touchup paint on all bikes in the house

[pinkychique]

I'm so proud of myself, even though my bf told me how to do every step and I did it, but I just replaced both derailleurs (brand new and they're great!!), the cables, and tuned it up. And then I realized that I needed new brake pads and did that on my own. I can do almost everything, with a little help, and the right tools. I'm learning as I go ;)

[DirtDiva]

I'll give anything that doesn't require special tools a try. Can always take it to the shop looking sheepish if I screw it up. :p Have never had to replace a derailleur, but I'd give it a go. Would like to learn to replace spokes and give a wheel a basic truing. Don't know anything much about hubs or bottom brackets (other than it's much better when they're working).

[Crankin]

I can change a tire/flat, but I've never had to on the road (luck). I live in fear of the day it happens. I clean my chain, but mostly my husband does it. He does all of the bike repairs; we have a complete bike shop, tools, etc which came about from when my son was racing and it was a lot less money for my husband to do the upkeep on his bikes. The only thing my husband doesn't do is work on the hydraulic brakes on the mtbs. We don't have the tools for that and since we don't use the mtbs that often, we just bring it to the shop.
I am in awe of anyone who can do more than fix a flat. To me, it's like I'm trying to do something new everytime I do it.
Well, I did put new tires on my wheels last spring, but i think it took me 2 hours!

[ibcycling]

So far all I've done is replace a tube. I need to get a good maintenance book so I can learn to do more and not feel helpless when something goes wrong. I'm sure my neighbor would help but he can be hard to catch at home.

Lora

[boy in a kilt]

I can take a bunch of parts and make them into a bike. Partly because I used to it in high school.

However. There are certain things I don't like to do. I'll take it to the shop for pressing in headset races. I'm not really good at adjusting bearings, hence the reason all the bearings on my bike are cartridge bearings.

I like to build wheels but I can't do it very quickly. I just learned how to get wheels in round and set the dish properly.

One of these days, I want to learn how to weld and build my own frame.

[Pax]

I can do the basic stuff but one it gets to the derailleurs I'm done, off to the shop.

[Melalvai]

I sure have come a long way. I know what a derailleur is and how to spell it!

Other big accomplishments were learning to change a tire IN THE FIELD and clean my drivetrain.

I'd changed tires before but never on the spot, I always called for a ride, bought the new inner tube when the store opened the next day, bike was out of commission for days before it was done. When I started commuting regulary, I started carrying a spare tube, tire levers & CO2 cartridge, but I also got kevlar tires and quit having flats, until finally 1 1/2 years later I did get a flat--and changed it right there!

My parents stopped by on their way through town, and they had their bikes with them, so I cleaned their drivetrains just for fun.

[DebW]

I can strip a frame bare and replace anything, but haven't dealt with facing the headtube or bb of a brand new frame. I can change headset races except I don't have the expensive tool to remove the fork crown race, so I take the fork to the lbs for that. I'm very good at adjusting bearings but have never tried to replace a sealed cartridge bottom bracket. I build and true wheels - not as fast as a pro, but maybe within a factor of two.