c/bicycle-mechanics

17

hannah_williams•8h ago

Appreciation post: KMC chains. Used to swear by Shimano.

Finally switched to a KMC X11 on my gravel bike last month. Broke two Shimano chains in four months, figured it was my shifting style. The KMC chain tool is a game changer. Link pins snap in way cleaner, less force needed. Has anyone else had better luck with aftermarket chains over OEM?

17

terry_bailey35•1d ago

Warning: don't buy those cheap spoke wrenches on Amazon

I bought a 4-pack of spoke wrenches for $6 on Amazon last month. First wheel I tried to true, the #2 size stripped after three turns of a nipple. Spent the next hour fighting a rounded-out nipple with pliers. Had to replace three spokes on that rear wheel because I messed them up so bad. Anyone else learn this lesson the hard way or did I just get a bad batch?

25

valsullivan•1d ago

Switched from Park Tool cable cutters to a cheap Dremel cutoff wheel for housing

Was fighting frayed cables for months until I tried zipping through housing with a Dremel on low speed and now I make perfect cuts every time in under 10 seconds, anyone else ditch the dedicated cutters?

7

johnthompson•1d ago

I was dead wrong about hydraulic disc brakes for years

Always swore by mechanical discs on my touring bike, figured hydraulics were overkill for road riding. Then last summer on a 60-mile descent in the Rockies, my brakes started fading bad and I nearly overshot a switchback. Finally borrowed a friend's bike with Shimano hydraulics and the modulation was night and day. Has anyone else had a stubborn preference that got totally flipped after actually trying the other side?

26

jesse773•1d ago

Spent 3 hours fighting a stripped brake bleed screw on a mountain bike

I was doing a routine brake bleed on a customer's 2022 trail bike last Friday and the bleed screw just would not budge. Tried every trick I knew - heat, penetrating oil, even a tiny impact driver. After about 45 minutes of wrestling with it, I finally stripped the hex head completely. Had to drill it out and use an extractor set, which took another 2 hours because the screw was in a tight spot near the frame. Has anyone found a reliable way to prevent these cheap bleed screws from seizing up?

5

gavins43•1d ago

Am I the only one who took 4 hours to fix a simple rear derailleur hanger?

Had a customer bike come in last Tuesday with shifting issues and I figured it was just a cable stretch. After 4 hours of messing with limit screws and tension, I finally realized the hanger was bent like 3 degrees. Anyone else spend way too long on what should be a 15 minute fix?

15

amy_foster56•3d ago

Brake cable snapped mid-descent last Saturday. Repaired or replace? Debate me.

I was bombing down a hill near my place in Austin. Going maybe 30 mph. Then my rear brake cable just went. No warning. Snapped clean in two. I managed to stop with the front brake only. Scared me pretty bad. Got home and looked at it. The cable was frayed near the housing end. I could patch it with a new cable and housing. But I'm wondering if the whole caliper is shot. Old cable can grind things up inside. When's it time to just replace the whole brake assembly versus just the cable? Had this happen to anyone else?

17

brookerobinson•4d ago

Had a chat with a retired shop owner about cone wrenches

He told me he'd been using the same set of Park Tools since 1982 and that I should stop buying the cheap multi packs off Amazon, and it hit me how much I've been chasing gear instead of just learning to work with decent tools.

12

janac59•5d ago

Went to a shop in Portland that refused to touch disc brakes

I rolled into this little co-op in southeast Portland last week to borrow a bleed kit, and the guy behind the counter straight up said they only work on rim brakes. They had a whole wall of old road bikes with cantilevers and wouldn't touch anything hydraulic. How do you run a bike shop in 2024 and just ignore disc brakes entirely?

7

ericschmidt•6d ago

My shop timer trick for wheel truing

Used to take me 20 minutes trying to get a wheel perfectly straight. Started setting a 5 minute timer and stopping when it goes off, even if it's not perfect. Has anyone else tried a hard cutoff for jobs that eat up too much time?

18

mia_singh24•7d ago

Hot take: old 9-speed parts are more reliable than new 12-speed groupsets

I put a 9-speed Deore drivetrain on my commuter last month after my 12-speed XT started ghost shifting after two muddy rides. The shifting is so crisp and I haven't had to adjust anything since day one. But then my buddy swears his new 12-speed Ultegra has been bulletproof through 2,000 miles of rain and gravel. Am I just lucky with old tech, or is there something to these simpler systems holding up better in real world use?

16

jordancoleman•10d ago

Showerthought: I spent 2 years lubing my chain wrong

Had a buddy look at my drivetrain last week and he pointed out I was putting lube on the side plates instead of the rollers. All that time I thought it was working but my chain was just covered in gunk. Has anyone else had a basic thing click way later than it should have?

24

alice242•11d ago

I almost ruined a customer's frame with a stuck seatpost last Tuesday

A guy brought in a vintage steel frame from the 80s, seatpost was seized solid. I told him it might take an hour. Three hours later I was still soaking it in penetrating oil and praying. Finally had to clamp the post in a vise and twist the frame, but the post snapped clean in half. Ended up drilling out the rest and using a tap to clean the threads. Customer was watching the whole time, sweating bullets. Anyone else ever had a seatpost snap on them during extraction?

5

sarah198•11d ago

The week I rebuilt 14 bottom brackets in 3 days

Last spring at the shop in Austin, we had three tour groups come through back to back. Every single bike had a crunchy bottom bracket, like they all rode through sandstorms together. I pulled 14 square taper BBs in 72 hours, most of them seized in place. Had to use a torch on four of them just to break the cups loose. My hands were raw and I smelled like grease and PB Blaster for a week straight. Has anyone else had a streak like that where one repair just keeps coming through the door?

13

henrygrant•11d ago

Went to a bike co-op in Portland last week

Walked into the Community Cycling Center and saw a guy using a park tool chain whip on a 20 year old freewheel that was caked in rust, and the volunteer just said 'that's a Tuesday' like it was normal, has anyone else dealt with a shop that has zero standards for tool care?

4

morgan316•14d ago

Old shop guy told me to stop using Park Tool grease for bottom brackets

I was rebuilding a 90s Trek 520 about 6 months ago and a retired mechanic came into the shop where I work part time. He saw me with a tube of Park Tool PolyLube and told me I was wasting my money. Said the stuff is too thick and actually causes drag on cup and cone bearings. He swore by just using regular Mobil 1 synthetic car grease from AutoZone. I basically ignored him for a few months until I ran out of PolyLube during a rush job on a customer's touring bike. Grabbed the Mobil 1 from the gas station down the street. Honestly the bearings spin noticeably smoother and it was like 5 bucks for a tub that will last me a year plus. Has anyone else switched from bike specific grease to automotive stuff without problems?

16

ryang77•14d ago

My $150 'professional grade' chain whip snapped on the second cassette removal

Bought this fancy Park Tool chain whip from a shop downtown, figured the extra money meant it'd last. Got it home, threw a new cassette on my summer bike, and on the second pull the pin that holds the chain links just sheared off. Called the shop and they said it was 'user error' and wouldn't refund me, so now I'm stuck with a broken tool and a cassette I can't finish swapping. Anyone else had that pin fail on those things, or did I just get a dud?

19

paul_thompson67•14d ago

Hot take: I used to rebuild hubs every season but now I just flush the bearings with degreaser and repack grease instead of pulling everything apart

Switched to this method after watching a shop in Portland do it on a worn Shimano hub that had 8,000 miles on it and the bearings still looked perfect after the flush, anyone else found this saves time without sacrificing longevity?

18

hayden587•17d ago

That time I ignored bearing preload specs and paid for it

I always thought preload specs on headset bearings were just optional guidelines, not hard rules. Last week I skipped the torque wrench on a customer's carbon fork install and now the headset's got a horrible notch after 3 rides. Has anyone else had an expensive lesson from ignoring the numbers in the service manual?

19

gavincampbell•18d ago

The way wheel truing stands got cheaper but better over 15 years

I picked up an old Park Tool stand from a shop closing down in 2009. That thing weighed a ton but felt solid. Today I grabbed a $60 stand off Amazon that's lighter and has better pointers than that old one. It makes me wonder if we are just paying for brand names now or if the new ones actually hold up. Has anyone else noticed the quality gap closing on basic shop tools?

18

amy_foster56•19d ago

Had to choose between a Park Tool headset press and a homemade setup yesterday

I was rebuilding a 1990s Trek 520 headset and realized I forgot my press at the other shop. So I tried the homemade method with a threaded rod and washers instead of driving 30 minutes back. Has anyone else gone the DIY route and regretted it when you saw the bearings weren't seated quite right?

21

henry_palmer24•19d ago

Finally got my wheel true after going back and forth on spoke tension

I had a rear wheel that was wobbling like crazy on my old commuter. Spent two nights deciding between using a cheap truing stand I found on Craigslist versus just taking it to a shop in Austin. Went with the stand since it was $30 and I figured I'd use it again. Took me three tries but it's running straight now, no more brake rub. Any of you guys ever mess with a budget stand or is it worth upgrading?

31

tara700•20d ago

Just hit my 500th wheel true at the shop this morning

I've been a mechanic for about 4 years now and this morning I pulled my 500th wheel off the truing stand. It was just a basic old mountain bike wheel with a minor wobble but the number caught me off guard. I never counted or anything but the shop owner mentioned it when I asked about our stand usage logs. Has anyone else ever tracked how many wheels they've trued over the years or am I just weird for finding it interesting?

1

joseph_coleman•21d ago

I was dead wrong about $15 chain lube

For years I only used basic 3-in-1 oil on my touring bike chains because I thought expensive lubes were a gimmick. After a 400 mile trip through Oregon last fall I had to replace my drivetrain twice from all the grit and wear. Has anyone else had a cheap lube fail them on a long ride and switch to something pricier?

5

the_max•22d ago

Stripped a derailleur hanger on a trail ride outside Denver last month

I was shifting down to climb a steep gravel section when the hanger just gave out and snapped clean off. Had to walk 3 miles back to the car because I didn't bring a spare hanger. Has anyone else had luck with carrying a couple common hanger sizes in their pack?