Self maintenance?

[madscot13]

Do you gals do your own bike maintenace? Like adjusting cables and replacing headsets? I am too scared to mess with it...

[KnottedYet]

If I have the tools already, and have good pictures to follow, I do it.

If I don't have the tools, and kinda don't know how it's supposed to go, nope.

I replaced my bars, but let the LBS replace my headset.

I'm happy to play with my brake tension with the barrel adjuster, but let the LBS do the cable-length stuff.

I replaced my own pedals after the gurus at the LBS showed me the basic idea and sold me a long-handled pedal wrench (cuz I'm a wimp and know it).

etc.

[enzed]

I'm not that good with mechanical things.

Things I can do for myself - Cleaning and lubing the drivetrain, changing a tube & tyre (although not very quickly), tightening anything that's loose, lubing the cables & applying grease on seatposts and the headset.

Everything else is done at my LBS - gear & brake adjustment, wheel building & part replacement.
I know when something is not quite right with the bike when it doesn't feel/sound right, but I don't always know the exact termonology.

Luckily I have a got LBS (which is only 1Km away from my place) who doesn't mind me asking questions & who looks after my bike well.

[margo49]

Used to do everything (incl bottom bracket bearings) when I was an Intense Young Thing. Had a thing called Richard's Bicycle Book (you know it DebW?)
Then one day I realised there were people I could pay to do it (and no swearing involved either!). Not only that, the people around me didn't have any expectation that I (or anyone else) would fix their own bike. In the meantime had a couple of Health Issues (One started with "c").
Now we have a nice LBS with nice people so I take it there. I may get back to it once I am out of Mother Mode. I enjoy looking back on all that self-sufficiency, tho' I don't need it now and I'm happy with that too. I love DebW's thread on the Old Boy she is restoring.

[Thorn]

Used to do everything (incl bottom bracket bearings) when I was an Intense Young Thing...Then one day I realised there were people I could pay to do it (and no swearing involved either!). Not only that, the people around me didn't have any expectation that I (or anyone else) would fix their own bike

Yep...about sums it up. Seems I had more time then....now, I barely have time to get out and ride, so I pay the LBS to do it. Of course, eons ago I didn't have a close, reliable shop so my repairs were just as good as the local shop could do. Now, I have a friendly, reliable, and really good LBS, not enough time, and can afford the repairs.

I suspect when I retire I'll do my own repairs again. It was fun and I miss the grease.

[DebW]

Used to do everything (incl bottom bracket bearings) when I was an Intense Young Thing. Had a thing called Richard's Bicycle Book (you know it DebW?)
Then one day I realised there were people I could pay to do it (and no swearing involved either!).

Actually, I never had Richard's Bicycle Book or any other because I learned straight from the horse's mouth, ie the owner of the bike shop I worked at. I did buy the Park book a couple years ago when I realized there was alot of new stuff (indexed shifting, sealed bearings) that I wasn't familiar with. And given that I CAN repair or replace any part on the bike, I've upgraded only twice in 30 years (the 2nd is my custom Peter Mooney frame which just went off to the paint shop). Maybe the other reason I keep working on bikes is so I have an excuse to buy TOOLS. Now I need a 2nd tool box.

[SadieKate]

Yeah, I've learned straight from the horse mouth also. Though we don't have the tools for pressing headsets or chacing bottom brackets so those definitely go off to the bike shop. We do have a homemade dowel system for headsets but I'm too lazy and will pay for some stuff to be done. I mean with 17+ bikes in the house you can't do it all and still have time to ride.

[roguedog]

17+ ????!!!!

(said in awe with strong tints of jealousy) What are they and how do they differ for you?

oh... you just made me feel better ...

[SJCzar]

I would love to learn how to do more myself. I plan on taking some classes at REI one of these days. Beyond keeping it cleaned and lubed the rest gets done at the LBS.

I'm spoiled because the mechanic is also a friend of mine so he always offers to do anything that's needed. I went in to buy some new bar tape and I wasn't even allowed to try and put it on myself. When I said I could, I was told that "No, you really can't" ..... he has no confidence in my technical abilities. And unfortunately at this point he's completely right.

[Kitsune06]

With Mz Cakes, I could do most of the basics myself. i.e. derailleur adjustment, brake adjustment, indexing, cable threading etc...

Merqueri is very different... but I want to try.
Last night I seasoned the chain with Prolink lube (clean with degreaser, then dish soap, then dry, lube liberally, throw in the oven at 300* stick a fork in it- it's done!) and cleaned the rest of the drive train... replaced the pedals (with my smartys!)

...tonight I venture into the scary world of replacing handlebars and stem... and wrapping!

any suggestions?
Should I "just not try?"
Then again,
I could wrap a damm mean bat back in the day... (and wooden katanas/wakizashis etc....)

[madscot13]

...tonight I venture into the scary world of replacing handlebars and stem... and wrapping!

I could wrap a damm mean bat back in the day... (and wooden katanas/wakizashis etc....)

Kitsune- I am scared- but slightly intrigued. On the other hand how haerd is it to wrap? My bike has gnarly tape and I want to redo it- unless I would be making it even more gnarly.

[DebW]

Merqueri is very different... but I want to try.

...tonight I venture into the scary world of replacing handlebars and stem... and wrapping!

any suggestions?
Should I "just not try?"
Then again,
I could wrap a damm mean bat back in the day... (and wooden katanas/wakizashis etc....)

Sure. Go for it. If you remove the stem on a threadless fork, you have to readjust the headset - just a matter of getting the correct tension on the allen bolt on top before you clamp down the stem. Wrapping bars in not much harder than wrapping a bat, except for the BENDS and the BRAKE LEVERS. Overlap turns by 1/3 and try to stretch the tape as you round a bend. And try not to run out of tape before the end of the bar.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

...tonight I venture into the scary world of replacing handlebars and stem... and wrapping!

any suggestions?

Are you replacing the drop bars with something else? Are you putting a shorter stem on?
My suggestion is to do the replacing stem and bars thing first- but don't wrap the bars yet. Ride it for a couple of weeks, because you may well want to make adjustments in where the hoods sit, or the hood angles. It is also quite possible that you will want a different size stem than what you are putting on. These things are hard to judge after one or two rides- especially if you are new to the dropped down road posture. Once you wrap, you can't make these changes anymore until you strip the tape and buy new tape again.

If you put too short a stem, your steering will become wobbly and annoying. Your body will slowly adapt to the new position to a certain extent, and the reach will seem less long and way more comfortable after a couple of months riding.

[Kitsune06]

Deb- I knew you'd have some wisdom for me Thank you. Regarding the proper tension on the allen bolt, is that something with an inherent trick to it, or should it feel self-explanatory?

any suggestions for wrapping around the brake levers?

Are you replacing the drop bars with something else? Are you putting a shorter stem on?
My suggestion is to do the replacing stem and bars thing first- but don't wrap the bars yet. Ride it for a couple of weeks, because you may well want to make adjustments in where the hoods sit, or the hood angles. It is also quite possible that you will want a different size stem than what you are putting on. These things are hard to judge after one or two rides- especially if you are new to the dropped down road posture. Once you wrap, you can't make these changes anymore until you strip the tape and buy new tape again.

If you put too short a stem, your steering will become wobbly and annoying. Your body will slowly adapt to the new position to a certain extent, and the reach will seem less long and way more comfortable after a couple of months riding.

You suggest I ride unwrapped?
I'm switching the drops that came on it with a slightly different bar. Like the Salsa Short 'n Shallow... and narrower, too. 36cm, fitted to my shoulder width, which fit *inside* the bars the former owner had.
The stem on it currently is pretty long for me. With the seat moved to a place where I get the proper KOP, my torso is stretched way out, with straight elbows to even reach the hoods, so there's a lot of weight on my hands, rather uncomfortably.
But yes, I feel like I'm venturing into very foreign territory. I believe in going what 'feels right'... but the whole concept of riding in that road position, with drop handlebars, is still strange, to the point that I don't know what 'right' is yet.

[margo49]

Sure. . And try not to run out of tape before the end of the bar.

Ouch, that hit a nerve!
There are some things you do *once* so you can say you have done them. Taping falls into this category for me.