How to stop New Bike Fever?

[Dane Jackson]

TLOlczyk <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> I'm just curious. Working on bikes don't you need some specialiosed
> tools? Doesn't the cost of tools/replacement parts make it more
> expensive?

Yes, but most of the time the cost of the tools is less than the
cost of the repairs if you take it to a bikeshop. At least that's
how I justify it to myself. Of course, for me, the really big
advantage is not having to drop my bike off and wait a couple
days to be able to ride it again.

There are jobs/tools that are definitely not cost effective, the
canonicle example being the headset press. Are you really going
to buy a $100 tool to put headsets into frames? The only way it's
worth it is if you plan to do that 3 or 4 times in a decent amount
of time. Which is pretty unlikely unless you are constantly
refurbishing old bikes or something.

On the other hand, some hex keys, some spoke wrenches, a chain
tool and various other tools can quickly pay for themselves.

--
Dane Jackson - z u v e m b i @ u n i x b i g o t s . o r g
"I'm willing to sacrifice anything for this cause, even other people's lives."

 

[Bob Wheeler]

Dane Jackson wrote:
> TLOlczyk <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>>I'm just curious. Working on bikes don't you need some specialiosed
>>tools? Doesn't the cost of tools/replacement parts make it more
>>expensive?
>
>
> Yes, but most of the time the cost of the tools is less than the
> cost of the repairs if you take it to a bikeshop. At least that's
> how I justify it to myself. Of course, for me, the really big
> advantage is not having to drop my bike off and wait a couple
> days to be able to ride it again.
>
> There are jobs/tools that are definitely not cost effective, the
> canonicle example being the headset press. Are you really going
> to buy a $100 tool to put headsets into frames? The only way it's
> worth it is if you plan to do that 3 or 4 times in a decent amount
> of time. Which is pretty unlikely unless you are constantly
> refurbishing old bikes or something.
>
> On the other hand, some hex keys, some spoke wrenches, a chain
> tool and various other tools can quickly pay for themselves.
>

But you don't need a special tool to do a headset. A dowel works just
fine -- tap a bit here, tap a bit there. The only specialized tools you
really need are for the BB and freehub, which between them cost only $50
or $60.

--
Bob Wheeler --- http://www.bobwheeler.com/
ECHIP, Inc. ---
Randomness comes in bunches.

 

[Dane Jackson]

Bob Wheeler <[email protected]> wrote:
> Dane Jackson wrote:
>>
>> There are jobs/tools that are definitely not cost effective, the
>> canonicle example being the headset press. Are you really going
>> to buy a $100 tool to put headsets into frames? The only way it's
>> worth it is if you plan to do that 3 or 4 times in a decent amount
>> of time. Which is pretty unlikely unless you are constantly
>> refurbishing old bikes or something.
>
> But you don't need a special tool to do a headset. A dowel works just
> fine -- tap a bit here, tap a bit there. The only specialized tools you
> really need are for the BB and freehub, which between them cost only $50
> or $60.

I thought about that as I was writing. But I certainly wasn't going to
go into that level of detail for someone who's just thinking about
wrenching.

--
Dane Jackson - z u v e m b i @ u n i x b i g o t s . o r g
"The Jews are a frightened people. Twenty centuries of
Christian love have broken down their nerves."
-Israel Zangwill

 

[Bill Sornson]

maxo wrote:
> On Mon, 11 Jul 2005 10:00:32 -0700, bryanska wrote:
>
>> How do you each of you do it?
>
> I ride the **** out of my upgraded thrift store single speed and pass
> dudes on plastic bikes while ringing my bell. Seriously.

Last name "Baka"?

 

[maxo]

On Tue, 12 Jul 2005 23:15:07 +0000, Bill Sornson wrote:

> maxo wrote:
>> On Mon, 11 Jul 2005 10:00:32 -0700, bryanska wrote:
>>
>>> How do you each of you do it?
>>
>> I ride the **** out of my upgraded thrift store single speed and pass
>> dudes on plastic bikes while ringing my bell. Seriously.
>
> Last name "Baka"?

I don't think his thrift store bike has hand built wheels, a campy/phil
bb, 600 brakes w/koolstops, etc. The bell is a mity mite hidden on the
stem. There's thrift store and *thrift store* bikes dontcha know.

 

[Paul Hobson]

Leo Lichtman wrote:
> Do any of you suffer from this sybdrome?
> 1.) Start admiring the newer stuff.
> 2.) Go into a browsing mode.
> 3.) Progress into a shopping mode.
> 4.) Go into a peak of shopping excitement.
> 5.) Buy something dreamy.
> 6.) Feel letdown, because the real enjoyment was in the steps above.

This is why all the LBS around Atlanta don't like me. I love 1 through
5 so much that I do ridiculous things to old crappy bikes and spend 30
bucks here an there.

First it was fixing up a Motobecane for my girlfriend. Then making the
C. Itoh a single speed for rainy days. Now I'm making an old Peugeot a
fixed gear...I don't even know if I'm gonna be able to find a seat post
for it. I put all this work into old crappy bikes b/c it's more drawn
out and I get to browse a lot more.

Hell, I've needed to clean my nice K2 for along time, but I'd rather
adjust the brakes on a bike a ride twice a month and keep outside...just
b/c it's not 'done' yet. We're all weird



--
Paul M. Hobson
Georgia Institute of Technology
http://www.underthecouch.org
..:you may want to fix my email
address before you send anything:.

 

[[email protected]]

>I still don't think I can dbuy it. I really can't afford it, but that
>doesn't stop me from getting the itch...
>
>C'mon people, talk me out of it. I just closed on a house, am getting
>married, need to get my gallbladder yanked out... help me put it off
>until next season.
>
>Or wait! What about until next SALE season... what's the best winter
>time to buy?

Ride the bike a few weeks. Try commuting to work on it. A lot of
commutters buy used junkers to discourage theft. If you can bike/ mass
transite commute all winter, sell your car.
http://www.icebike.org http://www.bikewinter.org
http://www.kenkifer.com http://www.bikejournal.com

 

[greggery peccary]

"bryanska" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I still don't think I can dbuy it. I really can't afford it, but that
> doesn't stop me from getting the itch...
>
> C'mon people, talk me out of it. I just closed on a house, am getting
> married, need to get my gallbladder yanked out... help me put it off
> until next season.
>
> Or wait! What about until next SALE season... what's the best winter
> time to buy?
>

OK. if it's heavy as a boat anchor all the more exercise for you!
BTW. laproscopy is getting better all the time...fast recovery!