c/bicycle-mechanics

Had a Monday where 3 customers brought in bikes with the exact same brake problem

Last month I had one of those days where everything lines up weird. Three different people came in, all with squeaky disc brakes on bikes that were less than a year old. First one I just cleaned the rotors with alcohol and bedded them in again. Second one had a slightly bent rotor. Third one was just loose bolts on the caliper. Never had three brake jobs in a row be the same basic issue. Made me wonder if there was a bad batch of pads going around or if it's just the weather. Anyone else ever get a pattern like that where multiple customers show up with the same fix?

2 comments

paulw87•12d ago

Got burned by a cheap bottom bracket tool and it cost me $60

I tried to save a few bucks and bought a no-name bottom bracket tool off Amazon for like $12. The thing stripped out on the second use and I ended up ROUNDING off the splines on my Shimano crank arm. Had to buy a new crank arm for $50 and then shell out $30 more for the Park Tool version. I could have just bought the right tool from the start and saved myself the headache. Anyone else had a cheap tool ruin a part on you?

2 comments

betty_palmer•12d ago

Found a hack for cleaning crusty brake calipers without taking them off

I was fighting a sticky rear caliper on my commuter last week and tried spraying brake cleaner through the bleed port while pumping the lever. Cleared out the gunk in like 30 seconds flat, anyone else do this or is it a bad idea long term?

2 comments

michaelchen•14d ago

A pro racer told me to "grease the threads AND the seatpost" on a new build and I laughed until I saw what corrosion did to his old frame

He showed me a cracked aluminum frame from a shop in Boulder where the seatpost had fused solid from neglect, and now I smear a thin layer of anti-seize on EVERY threaded part even on basic customer bikes, has anyone else seen a seized post ruin a frame?

c/bicycle-mechanics

Had a Monday where 3 customers brought in bikes with the exact same brake problem

Got burned by a cheap bottom bracket tool and it cost me $60

Found a hack for cleaning crusty brake calipers without taking them off

A pro racer told me to "grease the threads AND the seatpost" on a new build and I laughed until I saw what corrosion did to his old frame

Dropped $120 on a fancy torque wrench and it stripped my first bolt

Old timer at the co-op swore by dry lube in wet conditions

PSA: That seized seatpost I fought with for 2 hours last Saturday

Swapped from a torque wrench to feel for bottom brackets after 6 months of stripping aluminum frames

That one Wednesday last month where nothing went right on the bench

Serious question, how do you choose between a chain whip and a cassette tool for a stuck lockring?

Vent: tried heat-shrinking cable housing instead of ferrules on a job site in Tulsa

Went to a bike co-op in Portland and watched a dude true a wheel with zip ties

Blew out my rear derailleur pulley wheel on a group ride yesterday

Unpopular opinion: brand name brake cables are a waste of money

I finally figured out why my chain kept dropping on the big ring

Can we talk about using a park tool chain cleaner as a dent puller for steel frames?

Tried bleeding Shimano road brakes with a syringe kit from Amazon

TIL that using a torque wrench on carbon seatposts isn't just hype.

Pro tip: I fixed a seized seatpost with a heat gun after everyone said to just cut it out

Hot take: buying that cheap bearing press kit was a huge mistake

Had a customer bring in a 1990s mountain bike with a seized bottom bracket that took me a full Friday to free.

Shoutout to the Park Tool BBT-22 for saving me from a seized bottom bracket in a customer's bike yesterday

Remember when a full tune-up meant a new chain and a headset overhaul?

Question about using a zip tie to set up a new derailleur

Appreciation post: the week a local race team brought us 23 bikes for a full pre-season check