Bike repairs



With the components I use, the modern kit needs not so much "component specific tools" but "different specific tools".

If you compare todays bikes ,and the special tools needed, to bikes from... oh, let's say 30 years ago...

Let's start with the two biggest changes in tools I have noticed: the chainsets and bottom brackets.

30 years ago, the high end chainsets were cotterless cranks. These took a special tool to press them off of the bottom bracket spindle. To complicate matters, for a long time Campagnolo took a different tool than any of the others. This has since been corrected.

Today, the crank arms are still pulled off of the spindle with a special tool. It is just a different one than before. Add to this that you only need to pull one arm off now, making things easier.

Hmm, it seems that chainsets actually became easier to deal with!

30 yeara ago, bottom brackets were much harder to deal with than they are today. Back then you had dozens of manufacturers, with several types of tools needed to install and remove the botton brackets. In addition to the tools of various shapes and sizes needed to controll the adjustable cup, and the lock ring, you also had to deal with the fixed cup, which had various sizes, was often siezed up, or had been deformed before by people using the wrong tool on it. Add to this the fact that the surfaces that had to be used were only about 2 to 3mm wide. Not a lot of surface at all to exert the kind of torque needes to hold it in place, let alone break it free when needed. There was a place where a number of specialised tools were needed!
Today you have a socket that drives the cups into position. No muss, no fuss.

Let's add a third item: headsets.
30 years ago, you had to find a headset that exactly matched the fork, press the cups into place, and you still had to have several tools to hold the often very thin nuts in place while you tightened the lock nut onto them.

Today, while you still have to press in the cups (as you always have had to), you now have bearimg cartridges that can use a split lower cone so that one size headset will fit a large number of bikes. Oh, and the adjustment of these headsets is managed with one <(or maybe two) simple hex wrenches... much easier, and much more precise.

Have I missed something that has become harder about modern bikes?
 
How long did it take to clean and repack a set of campy hubs and has anything spun smoother ever? Easy

I need to buy the tool to get the bearings out of my rear hub. Took it to the shop for new bearings and it came back just as gritty. The owner said it was fine or maybe the axle was bent. Bs

And who doesn't love gluing the bottom bracket bearings into a Trek frame. Now what a great idea. Surprised they did not use duct tape.

Maintenance is a pita. I think I built my last wheels last year. Too many good factory wheels to make it cost effective. I do grease the pedals and clean my chain every 10-14 days. I check tires for damage every ride. Rarely need to true the wheels. I change cables around every 5-6000 miles and have never had one break which reminds me that it is time to do cables. Yuk. Two of my bikes have hidden internal cable routing. Other than that what is there.
 
And who doesn't love gluing the bottom bracket bearings into a Trek frame. Now what a great idea. Surprised they did not use duct tape.

Pretty much all of the PF stuff is pure, unadulterated garbage. I did buy the Park Tool bearing knocker outer thingie and the Park Tool Bearing presser inner thingie for my BB86.5 BB and also for PF90 BB's. I still have to buy me some Loctite semi-permanent 'gluez yo shizznit bearings inny da carbon fo's ya' locking compound.

The Park Tool internal cable fishing tool is awesome, from what the local shop wrench tells me. Might want to order that when you order your hub bearing knocker outer thingie.

I only installed one pair of Campy Record hub bearing cups. A guy let water stand in his damned near dry hubs and the balls, cups and cones pitted. A drift was all it took to remove the cups and a bench vise was what I use to install the cups with a socket as a pressing tool.
 
Do you take your bike to a shop to have it repaired or do you do it yourself?
I do all my repairs myself, I find that I really enjoy it and relaxes me. There is nothing like rolling up your sleeves and getting your hands dirty, besides riding the bike of course.
Just like you, I also love to repair my bike myself. I can easily take my bike to the bike shop but experiencing the repairs 'on my own' is really a wonderful experience. I have learnt a lot about the parts because it I have been repairing my bike on my own since I was a child.
 
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Well, I mostly do it myself when it is about repairing basic tings such as tires, handlebars, seats and many other things, if I do not really know how to fix something I would definitely use that powerful tool named internet and get ahold of some good information to get my bike repaired.
 
Well, I mostly do it myself when it is about repairing basic tings such as tires, handlebars, seats and many other things, if I do not really know how to fix something I would definitely use that powerful tool named internet and get ahold of some good information to get my bike repaired.
It's always a good idea to do some research if you aren't a pro. The last thing you want is to have a whole lot of spare screws on your hands after you put everything back together.
 
I already fixed a couple of things myself, like the brakes and the wheels but besides that, I always take my bike to my favorite repair shop, the prices are super cheap and it's fast too.
 
Mostly I do the repairs by myself with little help. When I got bent wheels or need some rim replacement I go to a workshop. I don't own a special repair toolkit except for some wrenches, screwdrivers,spare parts and an air pump. Nor I want to have, there are A LOT of specialized tools I don't even know about how to properly use it.
 
Mostly I do the repairs by myself with little help. When I got bent wheels or need some rim replacement I go to a workshop. I don't own a special repair toolkit except for some wrenches, screwdrivers,spare parts and an air pump. Nor I want to have, there are A LOT of specialized tools I don't even know about how to properly use it.
There are repairs we can easily do but like you I wouldn't risk trying to straighten a bicycle rim. If it isn't properly done it will always have a wobble.
 
There are repairs we can easily do but like you I wouldn't risk trying to straighten a bicycle rim. If it isn't properly done it will always have a wobble.
As I build my own wheels, I would. You just have to know when the rim is too far gone to be stable.
 
As I build my own wheels, I would. You just have to know when the rim is too far gone to be stable.
Since you have a lot of experience I don't doubt that it's easy for you I remember once trying to do that and I tightened the spokes so much that I snapped a few. I was young then but swore never to do it again.
 
Since you have a lot of experience I don't doubt that it's easy for you I remember once trying to do that and I tightened the spokes so much that I snapped a few. I was young then but swore never to do it again.
I remember doing things like that. A lot. If you do not make mistakes, you are not learning.
 
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Well, I like to repair it myself. My cycle is solid and the quality of the steel is very high and that is why I don't need to do it frequently. My grandfather taught me.
 
How much would you guys recommend a beginner spend on beginners tools? I've had bikes before but never maintained them myself, always took them in if they needed service. What's the bare bones essentials for managing your own bike?
 

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