c/bicycle-mechanics

My old spoke tension meter gave out mid wheel build yesterday

Honestly I was halfway through lacing a set of 32 hole hubs when the little needle on my Park Tool TM-1 just stopped moving. I had to finish the build by feel and plucking spokes like a guitar string. Anyone else have a trusty old tool finally die on them out of the blue?

2 comments

black.joel•1d ago

Can we talk about using compressed air to clean chains?

I see so many mechanics blowing out chains with compressed air after a degrease. But I stopped doing that about 2 years ago after I noticed something. The air blasts the grit deeper into the roller pins, not out. I started just wiping the chain dry with a rag after cleaning, and my personal bike's drivetrain went from needing replacement every 6 months to lasting over a year. Has anyone else tested this side by side and seen the same thing?

2 comments

the_lucas•1d ago

Bike shop repair vs. DIY on a rainy Sunday in Portland - which way to go?

I was out in Portland last month when my rear derailleur hanger snapped on a gravel ride (classic, right?). I had two choices: limp it to a bike shop and pay maybe $60 for a new hanger and install, or try to bend the old one back myself with a Park Tool alignment gauge I'd packed. The shop guy told me it'd be a 2-day wait because they were swamped, so I went the DIY route. I got the hanger sort of straight, but then the shifting was off by a full gear for the next 10 miles. Eventually I just called an Uber to a shop and they fixed it in 5 minutes for $25. So here's the debate: do you trust your own mechanical skills in the field, or do you just pay for the pro service even if it means waiting? Has anyone else had a field repair go sideways like that?

2 comments

dianas50•2d ago

That time a seized seatpost taught me a lesson in Kansas City

I was working on an old Schwinn at my buddy's shop in Kansas City about 6 months ago. The seatpost was stuck solid, like it had been welded in there for 20 years. I tried penetrating oil, heat from a torch, even a pipe wrench, and nothing budged. Finally I grabbed a hacksaw and carefully cut the post out from inside the frame, then used a tap to clean the threads. Took me about 3 hours total, and I nearly messed up the frame twice. Turns out the previous owner had used some kind of adhesive instead of grease. Has anyone else run into a weird fix like that where you had to get creative?

2 comments

henry604•3d ago

Picked FSA over Shimano for my gravel build and kinda regretting it

Built up a used Kona Rove last month and had to choose between a Shimano GRX crank for $180 or an FSA Gossamer for $90. I went cheap to save cash for tires. Now after about 200 miles the non-drive side arm is getting this weird creak when I stand on it. Torqued it to spec twice already. Anyone dealt with FSA cranks creaking or is this just a bad batch thing?

2 comments

margaret_jackson73•6d ago

Old timer told me to never grease pedal threads. He was wrong.

A guy at the co-op swore pedals only need anti-seize, so I ran them dry on a commuter build. After 6 months they seized so bad I had to cut the crank arm off with a hacksaw. Anyone else deal with stuck pedals from skipping the grease?

2 comments

jessicaflores•7d ago

Bled my brakes 3 times and still got spongy lever - what am I missing?

Got a set of Shimano XT brakes on my trail bike. Followed the standard bleed procedure step by step, even bought the official bleed kit. After three tries the lever still pulls almost to the bar before it bites. I'm using the right mineral oil, no leaks anywhere. Is there a trick I'm not doing or do I just need to take it to a shop?

3 comments

sammoore•7d ago

Old timers advice on spoke tension just saved my wheel build

I used to think I knew better than the old mechanic at my shop about spoke tension. He always said tighten to feel not to a number on the tensiometer. Last week I built a rear wheel for a customer and followed the Park Tool manual to the letter with even readings. The wheel went out of true after 30 miles. Today I rebuilt it by feel like he said, squeezing pairs of spokes and listening for pitch. The wheel is dead true and the customer is happy. Anyone else ditch the tensiometer after a bad experience?

3 comments

kai914•9d ago

Took my disc rotors to a machine shop and got roasted

I had some warped rotors on my mountain bike so I decided to take them to a local machine shop in Austin to get them trued up. The guy laughed at me and said he's never had anyone ask him to resurface bike rotors, told me they're disposable parts. I ended up spending $35 on new rotors anyway, but honestly I learned that trying to save worn rotors is just asking for problems. Anyone else ever try to salvage rotors that were clearly done for?

2 comments

the_max•9d ago

Got chewed out by a shop vet for using too much grease on bottom brackets

I was rebuilding a client's old mountain bike and slathered the BB shell threads with anti-seize like I always did, until the senior mechanic pulled me aside and said 'you're turning that frame into a slip'n slide, just a thin film does the job.' Turns out I'd been over-greasing everything for 2 years and it was actually attracting grit that wore out bearings faster. Anybody else have a simple habit they had to unlearn after someone called them out?

2 comments

skyler_smith85•10d ago

Had the worst day of my wrenching career last Tuesday

I was swapping a bottom bracket on a 2018 Trek Domane and the threads just stripped right out of the frame after about 3 turns. Turns out the previous mechanic had cross-threaded it and hid it with grease. Has anyone else had to deal with a warranty claim on a carbon frame for something like this?

2 comments

the_max•10d ago

I finally stopped believing the hype about torque wrenches for every bolt

After 15 years of wrenching in Portland shops, I've seen more stripped threads from people blindly torquing to spec on rusty frames than I ever did from just using my hand and a feeler gauge, so who else has found that a good calibrated touch beats most click-type wrenches for older steel bikes?

2 comments

keithbennett•10d ago

Had an old Campy derailleur explode on me mid ride yesterday

I was about 10 miles into a group ride near Boulder, Colorado, just cruising on a flat section, when I heard this horrible grinding noise from my rear derailleur. Next thing I know, the thing just snapped in half, the jockey wheel flew off into the ditch, and the chain wrapped itself around my cassette like a python. Turned out the b-link bolt had been loose for who knows how long, and I just never checked it because I got lazy with my maintenance schedule. Had to call my buddy to come pick me up in his truck, which felt pretty stupid standing on the side of the road covered in chain grease. Whole ride fell apart because I skipped a simple bolt check before heading out. Anyone else ever had a derailleur let go like that out of nowhere? I'm trying to figure out if it was my fault or just old age on the part.

2 comments

carr.gavin•11d ago

Unpopular opinion: frame filing is overrated for most bike builds

At the shop in Austin last Tuesday, I watched a guy spend 45 minutes filing his dropouts smooth before a wheel swap, and honestly it made zero difference once the axle was tightened down. Has anyone else found that layer of paint to be totally harmless?

2 comments

the_riley•12d ago

That one Tuesday last August when nothing went right

Had a guy bring in a 1990s Cannondale with a seized seatpost, then the next customer wanted me to rebuild a wheel with a broken spoke... but the drive-side flange cracked when I tensioned it. Anyone else have a day where you just should've stayed in bed?

3 comments

caleb_stone•15d ago

Hit 500 bike builds yesterday, never thought I'd get there

I was just going through my job log from the last 8 years and realized I've built over 500 bikes from the frame up. That's everything from department store fix-ups to a custom titanium road frame that took me 3 days. I started this after leaving my HVAC gig and working out of my garage in Tucson. Most of those were in the last 4 years once word got around. Has anyone else kept a count and been surprised by the number?

3 comments

henry_martinez•17d ago

Hit a curb going 20 mph and my front wheel taco'd

I was cruising down a bike path in Phoenix last Saturday and didn't see a chunk of concrete sticking out. Front wheel folded like a cheap lawn chair the second I hit it. I thought my fork was toast but it turned out okay, just the rim was totally gone. Has anyone else had a crash like that where the wheel took all the damage and the frame survived?

2 comments

black.joel•17d ago

Had a chat with a old bike courier in Portland that flipped my thinking on brake cables

He told me he runs full housing on his track bike and never had issues, said the whole 'less friction' thing is overblown for city riding. Has anyone here actually tested compressionless housing against standard on a commuter rig?

2 comments

grace_knight70•18d ago

After 8 years of turning wrenches I just found out I've been routing cables on the wrong side of the fork the whole time

A customer brought his bike back with a torn brake cable and he pointed out the factory routing in the park tool video on my phone and I felt about two inches tall.

3 comments

the_xena•19d ago

Pro tip: I started using isopropyl alcohol on brake rotors instead of that expensive degreaser

I've been a mechanic for about 7 years now and always used that citrus degreaser for cleaning rotors before pad swaps. Turns out 91% isopropyl alcohol works just as good and costs like $3 a bottle instead of $15. I tested it on three customer bikes last month - a Trek, a Giant, and a Specialized. All three had zero brake noise after the swap. But I'm worried about long term effects, like if the alcohol dries out the rotor surface differently. Has anyone else tried this and noticed any issues after a few months?

3 comments

josephl67•19d ago

Debate: Grease on threads or not on crank bolts?

Last month at the shop in Denver, I had two mechanics arguing about whether to grease crank bolts before torquing them down. One guy said grease prevents creaking and makes removal easier later. The other said grease changes the torque reading and can cause the bolt to loosen over time. I've been doing it dry for 5 years with no issues, but my buddy swears by grease. What do you all do on your builds?

3 comments

the_nina•20d ago

Customer told me my chain lube was attracting too much grit

Guy brought his bike in last week, complained about drivetrain noise after I serviced it. He said I was using too thick of a lube, told me to try a dry wax instead. Switched to Squirt on my last three builds and the difference is huge. Anyone else have customers call you out on something that actually made you better?

2 comments

hart.mark•21d ago

That guy at the co-op told me to skip the torque wrench for carbon stems

Two months later my stem slipped on a trail and I cracked my fork. Now I'm out $300 and a weekend because some old head said 'just feel it out'.

2 comments

caleb_stone•22d ago

Can we talk about how I greased the wrong part of my bottom bracket for 3 years?

I was using marine grease on the spindle threads and bearings but never touching the inside of the shell itself. One long ride with creek crossings finally seized everything up and a older mechanic pointed out where the real corrosion was coming from. Anyone else been skipping that inner lip and regret it?

2 comments

lisa5•22d ago

Debate: do you lube chains with the bike on a stand or flip it upside down?

I was at a group ride in Denver last month and watched a guy flip his road bike upside down on the grass to lube the chain. I always use a stand so nothing gets dirty or messed up. He swore flipping it is faster and you can spin the cranks easier. Which way do you do it and why?

3 comments