How Much Of Your Own Maintenance Do You Do?

[Bendee]

i send all my bikes to www.tartybikes.co.uk to be fixed and serviced

[AdamR28]

All none of them?

[Sponge]

TartyBikes is the only shop I trust to carry out quality service. Mainly only stuff like chasing BB threads, facing headtubes, fitting headsets, and in future: wheelbuilds. Every other bikeshop will mess something up from my experience so all the rest of maintenance is done in my room with some James Brown in the background.

[gary-mac]

I've always done my own bike work motor and cycle bikes. Love doing the work and to be honest wouldn't trust anyone else. I'm super fussy plus if something does go wrong you can only blame yourself. It'sgood to learn!

[bikeperson45]

It's weird how everyone thinks they're better than LBSs, I've always thought the same though. When a mechanic saw my trials bike he's suddenly all "oh yea, me and Martyn Ashton good friends..."

And when people build wheels do you use lube on the nipples? Guy in my LBS said that was stupid because they'd just unscrew if you did that but I'm pretty sure he's wrong?

[monkeyseemonkeydo]

And when people build wheels do you use lube on the nipples? Guy in my LBS said that was stupid because they'd just unscrew if you did that but I'm pretty sure he's wrong?

I never do but then I'm lazy... I'll let Adam provide a proper answer!!

[Bendee]

All none of them?

i do have a bike its just not broke for a while so ive not needed to send it to you

[Krisboats]

It's weird how everyone thinks they're better than LBSs, I've always thought the same though. When a mechanic saw my trials bike he's suddenly all "oh yea, me and Martyn Ashton good friends..."

And when people build wheels do you use lube on the nipples? Guy in my LBS said that was stupid because they'd just unscrew if you did that but I'm pretty sure he's wrong?

I'd rather have them come loose once in a blue moon than have them tighten up to the point where the nipples snap or become very stiff to turn, ultimately rounding them as the spoke key slips.

[haydon_peter]

And when people build wheels do you use lube on the nipples? Guy in my LBS said that was stupid because they'd just unscrew if you did that but I'm pretty sure he's wrong?

I'll let Adam provide a proper answer!!

You should lubricate nipples when building a wheel.

Who needs Adam when you have the Sheldon Brown website?

Sheldon Browns Wheel Build Guide

"Spoke threads and spoke holes in the rim should generally be lubricated with light grease or oil to allow the nipples to turn freely enough to get the spokes really tight. This is less important than it used to be due to the higher quality of modern spokes, nipples and rims, but it is still a good practice."

[bikeperson45]

Ah good. I really think the guy running just got up one morning and thought "I'm going to open a bike shop!". He really seems to know nothing.

[tank_rider]

Do everything myself personally. I'm trying to buy all the tools I need as and when they are required. Between a few close mates we have pretty much everything covered bar servicing of nitrogen charge rear shocks. I do most of the wheels though as I was lucky enough to be taught by the tart himself

I can't believe the number of shops that will build wheels then take them back after a few rides to be tightened/trued, purely comes down to not stressing them when you build em. I've never had to do that to any of mine so long as I use the stand on the spoke crossing method of stressing them.

[matt rushton]

To be honest only really ever set up rear shock. rebound, high speed compression low speed etc. but forks done seals oil change etc.

[Miles Mallinson]

I have to do most of the things myself because I don't have a LBS as I live on a island, I've worked in a bike hire shop for about 3 years so I have just learnt things from that. Also learning from books, magazines and DVDs has helped alot, I wouldn't really trust myself to service forks or shock well theres the simple things like setting up suspension and rebound settings but I'd proberly send them to Mojo to get them professionally serviced, I'm in need of one of them soon anyway. I'm gonna get my Cytech qualification next year aswell its all good fun really.

Edited December 23, 2010 by Milo123

[Revolver]

There's a bike shop in Nottingham called Freewheel, and inside this shop works a guy that I know.

I reckon he could fix my bike real good, it's just, my bikes don't really break in a catastrophic way that requires a trained guy to fix them.

Furthermore, I can't be bothered to go to the effort of going into town, booking in my bike, then taking it in when it's due, then paying for it to be fixed, and having to pick it up, when I can do an acceptable job, at least, from home, and each time I do the job I get better at it.

[Azarathal]

I do everything minus chasing threads / facing etc and ofc the headset.

The thing I enjoy most though is wheel building. Having a few beers whilst watching a movie and wheel building is actually really relaxing.

[Fixed Pants™]

All the servicing gets done in my LBS, by me, because i work there

[davey1991]

All the servicing gets done in my LBS, by me, because i work there

Holy crap he's back!

[CC12345678910]

Used my actually rather good LBS the other week for the first time in about a year to buy and have a star nut installed. everything else is done by me, my mates lending a hand or buy tarty when I buy the stuff new.

The way it should be me thinks...

[jt123]

I've never used my lbs. When I was about 11 and just getting into racing xc my uncle gave me the haynes bike book and I learnt everything from that and just working things out for myself. I learnt to build wheels when i was about 15 from an article in ride bmx and looking at pre-built wheels. Learnt to service forks at about 15 too from just taking them apart and rebuilding them as I was just getting into dh, and I'm just learning how to service a shock now which will be quite handy when I get back into dh.

In my opinion it's just lazy to take it to your lbs and as someone already said, if you do that how are you ever going to fix a problem out on a ride.

[Mikee]

I use my LBS maintenance-wise for things like pressing in headsets, back wheel builds for my trials bike and the occasion things I don't have tools for like disc mount facing or BB I don't have the tool for.

Unlike other bike shops I have been too, my regular one is very, very good. I would trust them to carry out any task on my bike. And having been going there for years now and becoming friends with them, they always give me a good price ( or no charge on small things ) on work needing done. I usually get a tiny bit off RRP aswell which is cool

[Matt Vandart]

It's weird how everyone thinks they're better than LBSs, I've always thought the same though. When a mechanic saw my trials bike he's suddenly all "oh yea, me and Martyn Ashton good friends..."

And when people build wheels do you use lube on the nipples? Guy in my LBS said that was stupid because they'd just unscrew if you did that but I'm pretty sure he's wrong?

I use olive oil, mostly because I came to build a wheel one day and had f**k all proper lube.

It works brilliantly.

[Shaun H]

Just bought a headset rocket (sick of hammer and screwdrivering it) and very nearly bought a headset press, Cyclus or X-tools or something do one for just over £40 which I thought was pretty reasonable.