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Education We Like to Ride Bicycles

Discussion in 'General' started by RTT, 8 May 2008.

  1. Kovoet

    Kovoet What's a Dremel?

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    Thanks for the info but I am in Vancouver once a year if I could move there I'd be gone tomorrow.
     
  2. 13eightyfour

    13eightyfour Formerly Titanium Angel

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    Has anybody got any recommendations for a mid level bike tool kit? I just want the essentials for everyday use and general maintenance. Budget would be between £50-100.

    Sent from my Desire HD using Tapatalk
     
  3. Malvolio

    Malvolio .

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    I've dealt with a few over the years on customers bikes as well as my own only to find that they're far far worse for things than just leaving them to the elements. Unless constantly cleaned out they get full of muck and grit, causing water retention and further wear and tear on your bike. Beyond that, for the fact that a full drivetrain replacement doesn't cost me that much, I don't mind doing it to keep things smooth.

    Though all of this doesn't touch the fact that I dislike their aesthetic. :D


    @13eightyfour: try something like the Park SK-1, as it has most all you will need for most repairs you'd want to do at home. Should be well within your budget as well.
     
  4. Cookie Monster

    Cookie Monster Multimodder

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    As Malvolio said Park make some nice tools but the Park Toolkit is around £100 on chainreaction, which I think for what you get it is a bit expensive for what you get.

    When I started my first toolkit I walked into a local hardware / motor shop and bought 1/2 decent tools, I got Draper spanners from 8mm up to 19mm (though for most modern bikes you probably don't even need a spanner now), a selection of Stanley screwdrivers, a pack of long handled individual allen keys (these are probably most important of anything none bike specific now).

    I then bought the odd tool as I needed it, I'm not going to say you will need one but it's not often that a home mechanic would ever need a chain whip and cassette tool to remove your rear gears or individual tools to remove every type of bottom bracket under the sun.

    If you have a LBS who are half decent (not a chain like Halfords or Evans) go and have a chat with them, build up a relationship, bike shops always have "regulars" though as Malvolio will probably back me up 90% of these regulars have nothing regular about them, these regulars will get charged a few quid when quick job is needed.

    I'll see what I use at work today and get back to you tonight.
     
  5. steveo_mcg

    steveo_mcg What's a Dremel?

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  6. Joey Propane

    Joey Propane What's a Dremel?

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    Pedro's and Lezyne tools for me, all the quality of Park but considerably cheaper. I have an EBC bike stand (this one) and it's been faultless, so they also get a thumbs up from me.

    Used it to build the hardcore hardtail I was using this summer:

    [​IMG]
     
  7. Malvolio

    Malvolio .

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    Whilst the Park set is a bit pricey (though I could have sworn the home mechanic kit was cheaper than that), it also comes with a fantastic warranty, and they are great tools to work with. Though if you're fine with hardware store quality stuff (which if you're not careful can be rather naff) then you'll spend quite a bit less for the same basic kit. I'd recommend Allen keys (full 1.5 to 10mm set), cone (sometimes called "Flat" or "Diesel", dependant upon industry) wrenches in 13,14,15,17,19mm sizes, and a basic set of open ended box spanners not forgetting a good 15mm pedal wrench, which you'll almost certainly have to grab from a bike shop (if you can find a 15mm thin spanner with a good foot-long handle at a hardware store, you've got a better eye than I do). Pedro's is another brand to consider, though their ergonomics do leave something to be desired on many of their tools. Insofar as Lezyne is concerned I'll happily use their pumps, but warn to stay well away from their tools, as we've had nothing but returns and broken knuckles with them at my shop, so we only stock their tyre levers, pumps, and multi-tools (with very low sales of the latter compared to Crank Brothers).

    Another option is if you don't mind used tools, see if your LBS has any spares or discards, as most shops will replace a good selection of their main tools on a yearly basis, either throwing or giving away the old stuff - I've got two large boxes at the shop of spares that I'll just be throwing away if I trip over them again, for example. Might be able to pick up some cheap (or free) basic kit that way. This is where befriending your local is a very good thing. Just don't assume that your shop will do things for cheap/free on a regular basis simply because you are a regular though, as they are still a business! They need to make money somehow.
     
  8. dynamis_dk

    dynamis_dk Grr... Grumpy!!

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    Guys, just a quick heads up - I normally wouldn't just throw these into the mix in a general forum but as there really only the one main 'Bike' thread here I wanted to mention it.

    I'm currently in the process of upgrading a few bits and have opened up a marketplace thread titles 'bike stuff' - I'm UK based for those wishing to view. If anyone is intrested take a look over there - this is the first and last mention in this thread :)

    Decided to go down the 2x10 route so I'm going SRAM X0 for full transmission and maybe a Guide-X bash/Guide combo. Then for brakes I'm looking at Codes, Tech evo V2 or The One's - Not sure yet.

    Anyone any experience fitting / setting up SRAM 2x10 gear? Is here its slightly different to setup then shimano 9 speed stuff
     
  9. Malvolio

    Malvolio .

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    I've done more than my fare share of 10spd SRAM kit now (first iteration of XX to current X7 and up), and other than the different lever feel, it goes together and tunes just as one might expect of SRAM (with the exception of XX that is, as it never shifts right and throws a hissy fit if you've any stiction in the housing). If it wasn't for the soft, squidgy feel in the lever, you'd never know the difference between their 9 and 10spd stuff really, from either the operational or servicing end of things. Shimano is a bit of a different story, as their new 10spd stuff goes together and tunes a little differently than their old, but I mean this as a good thing in that it is much easier to get it perfect quickly, and it's much less finicky.

    Anyway, easiest way I've found for rear SRAM dérailleurs is to bolt your kit on, adjust your limiter for the tallest gear, and bolt the cable on with a slight bit of slack. Should only require a slight bit of barrel adjuster to correct for any aberrations in shifting. Much the same story can be said of the front, but adjust your low limiter (obviously) and attach the cable with a very small bit of slack.
     
  10. Blanx3_Bytex

    Blanx3_Bytex What's a Dremel?

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    Been lurking the last few pages of this thread and Im wondering what the general consensus on mudguards are? I keep coming back from my local woods with the back of my helmet and hair filled with mud, which gets tiresome really really quickly. Do any of you suggest harder, or softer style mudguards?

    Do any of you have any tips for cleaning the chainset of the bike?
     
  11. steveo_mcg

    steveo_mcg What's a Dremel?

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    I don't bother with them but I don't think there is a reason not to use a crud guard if it bothers you.
     
  12. yougotkicked

    yougotkicked A.K.A. YGKtech

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    some shots of my single.

    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]

    sorry for the crummy pics, but I really don't want to go outside and take pics right now.

    that's an old school carbon frame (carbon tubes and aluminum joints). I have long since ditched the ugly bottle holder, and I stripped off the bar tape exposing the lovely black bars underneath.

    unfortunately a run in with a car over the summer left me with a bent fork, and the car with a head-shaped dent in the door.
     
  13. Malvolio

    Malvolio .

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    To your first question: flexible will always be better than rigid, simply because in a crash it will deflect rather than break. Much the same is true if you happen to catch it on something, or just hit it off a wall or post. Get something flexy by a good name brand and it'll last for years of abuse. Beyond that, shape and attachment are mainly just personal preference.

    On the second point I would suggest a good degreaser (I like orange based products) and a clean rag. Just go to town on it basically, flossing where you can or just rubbing the grease off. Make sure you don't just pour the liquid directly onto the bike (a quick dab onto the rag is good enough), and you'll be best served by taking your chain off the smallest ring and just letting it rest on the frame, allowing for better access to the crankset and it's chainrings. If you want to get really fancy, you could also consider complete removal and immersion in a cleaning solution, but this requires far more tools and time, and I would argue that it is almost never needed - I certainly don't do it to my own bikes (maybe I'll give the crank arms a quick clean in the parts washer at work when I change the rings, but that is about it). Biggest thing you can do to keep your bike clean from grease and oil is to just not use all that much, as your bike really doesn't need four gallons of wax-based lubricant applied to it daily (this isn't too far off the mark of what I've seen some customers admit sheepishly to). The more sticky liquid stuff you put on your bike, the more grime and grit it'll pick up off the road. To put it another way: over lubrication is far worse for your bike than under lubrication (to a point).
     
  14. Jipa

    Jipa Avoiding the "I guess.." since 2004

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    [​IMG]

    This has not gone well.jpg

    Tried to have some fun in the snow.. The jump itself was pleasant enough, but the landing was a tad too soft. Needless to say I kept going after bottoming out the boxxxer in a rather grand fashion.
     
  15. Malvolio

    Malvolio .

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    [​IMG]
    Was bright and warm today (only four degrees below freezing!) so I went out on a bit of a ride on the fat one. This pathway is a normal bike path that gets closed in the winter, but people just use it anyway; though there are a few places like this along the path that make it a bit "fun" to use at times. But true to it's nature, my Pugsley just plodded along happy as can be.

    On another note, and a bit of a sidetrack, I'm starting a new job in a week or two. Yay. I'm finally getting out of a shop where it is not just encouraged but expected of the employees to be intoxicated, surly, and outlandish on a daily basis. Last week I witnessed an hour long conversation between several of the primary staff members (including the store manager) about how "the gays" make their skin crawl, and about how one member of staff is actively trying to get the homosexual couple evicted from his apartment. Needless to say I couldn't take much of it, and it took every ounce of fibre I have not to tell every single one of them off.

    The truly sad thing is that this was incident took place while the store was open, and customers were talking around. And it's not the first time it's happened either. Effectively I'll be leaving a store with institutionalised ignorance, stupidity, and extreme xenophobia for a quaint little startup specialising in cruisers, cargo/utility bikes, and light touring with a heavy emphasis on community and awareness. This is only emphasised in the regular group rides, the demo days (I went to the sled demo day today), and the active involvement of the community within the regular goings-on at the shop itself - oh, and did I mention the heavy involvement in Bicycles for Humanity?

    For contrast, at the shop I'm currently working for and where I've been for the past three years, when I tried to get into motion charity work on behalf of the shop with several local organisations (using primarily my own time for this, mind you), I got told not to bother as it didn't bring anything into the register. They didn't want me "wasting [my] time" on such unprofitable pursuits.

    But anyway, I could go on for pages about the many reasons my current place of employ is terrible for customers and staff alike (the turnover rate for decade-experienced mechanics is the highest I've ever heard of - nobody stays for more than a year before they leave out of pure frustration), but this isn't the time nor place for such. What this does mean however, is that I'll have many opportunities to take lots of group shots and write stories of and about people that actually enjoy cycling in an atmosphere that encourages such. So expect some of that over the next year.
     
  16. Cookie Monster

    Cookie Monster Multimodder

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    That's just wrong mate, well done for getting out. What will you be doing though? Other than home mantinence when will you have an excuse to get your hands dirty? You know your gonna miss the stuck bottom bracket that takes an hour and half a dozen pairs of hands and a blow torch to get out. :D

    I'm glad my shop isn't that bad but I do hate any kind of bad language when customers are about (don't get me wrong I swear, probably too much), but there is no call for it when there are people in the shop who you hope will be spending money, 99% of the time they have kids to. The worst we get is the bosses constant moaning on about everything, to anyone. I had a customer walk in just after christmas, they had been to the other shop (which is run by the boss), walks into my store and asks where this big pile of bikes are that cost the boss £16k. He had stood for 45mins with a customer and moaned about a £16k invoice he got just before christmas. We should have had the bikes in late/mid october and because they came into the shop on Dec 20th he wasn't happy. He was offered the chance to cancel the order but refused as the product wouldn't go out of date. What an arse!

    Anyway, that's my rant over, good luck, look forward to some nice images.
     
  17. Malvolio

    Malvolio .

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    Apologies, but I should have made it clearer that I'm being hired on for (as near as makes no difference) the service manager/primary wrench position, plus I'll have an active role in all of the side stuff the shop does, which suits me just fine! A day finished with clean hands isn't a day worth remembering.
     
    Last edited: 23 Jan 2012
  18. FIBRE+

    FIBRE+ Minimodder

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    @ Malvolio - Your old shop sounds pretty bad must have been a real motivation killer, atleast you're sorted for moving on.

    Sounds like a good plan, getting people involved to build a connection with the shop other than just spending money there is good way to make a customer for life. Your old shops rant about the charity isn't that valid, there is a lot you can do to promote the shop and build a good image, you might not literally see money going in the till as a result but it's good positive advertising and makes the shop image look better (and it helps people too!).

    Good luck :)

    Like the photo :thumb:.
     
    Malvolio likes this.
  19. FIBRE+

    FIBRE+ Minimodder

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    On a separate note...

    I've bought and built too much (and ridden less!) over the past few years so I've just been sorting my stuff out.

    Is anybody looking for mountain bike bits?, Ill post up a FS tread with a list or something if anyone is interested?
    Lots of bits mid to high end, old and new but in decent condition (it's decent stuff though so i'm not giving it away).

    Got this for starters - Voodoo Djab 20" Titanium Frame - Will run Gears \ SS \ Hubgear. Hope headset/BB/Seatclamp, basic post, Flite Ti saddle.

    £495 as you see it (+£20 Post), might be open to offers if it was a collected. More info here

    [​IMG]
     
  20. Cookie Monster

    Cookie Monster Multimodder

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    Depending on what you have, I'm on the look out for a set of forks with a 15 or 20mm bolt through. Not be till some point next month at the earliest though as I'm skint.
     

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