Freelance Forum - The Community for Independent Professionals

c/bicycle-mechanics

11

william_craig7•8h ago

Had to choose between cable housing and full hydraulic on a gravel build

I was putting together a 2022 Marin Gestalt last spring and had to decide between running compressionless cable housing for the brakes or going full hydraulic. I went with the housing to save some cash and honestly, after 6 months of wet rides around Portland the braking feel just never got sharp. Kind of wish I'd just spent the extra $80 upfront. Anybody else had regrets trying to cheap out on a build?

7

anthony_jackson31•17h ago

Went from chain noise to silence after I degreased my drivetrain the wrong way for 6 months

So I've been fixing bikes at my shop for about a year now. For the longest time I'd just spray degreaser on the chain and cassette, wipe it down, and relube. Always had some clicking and grinding noise but figured it was normal. Last week a customer brings in his bike that's way older but sounds butter smooth. He shows me how he takes the chain off, soaks it in a jar of mineral spirits overnight, and brushes each cog individually. I tried it on my own bike and the difference was night and day. Like a whole different machine. Now I'm wondering how many bikes I serviced that left with that noise still there. Y'all actually do this every time or am I the only one who was half-assing it?

3

martinez.paul•2d ago

Called it overpriced junk until I borrowed a friends Park Tool truing stand

After 2 hours fumbling with zip ties on my fork trying to true a wheel from a Craigslist bike I finally understood why that $150 stand actually saves time has anyone else wasted money on those DIY truing setups

35

sandragrant•3d ago

Blew out a spoke on my cargo bike hauling 60lbs of groceries last Tuesday

It snapped right at the elbow going up a hill near downtown, and I had to walk the last 3 blocks home. Anyone else find the rear wheel on cargo builds just eats spokes faster than a regular commuter setup?

27

logan271•3d ago

Can we talk about that old shop guy who told me to always face the same direction when truing wheels

Guy at the shop in Denver swore facing east every time would keep the wheel balanced, and after 6 months of doing it I realized he was just messing with me because the wheels come out fine either way, so has anyone else gotten weird superstitious advice that turned out to be total garbage?

1

the_laura•3d ago

Spent 45 minutes hunting a squeak that was a loose bottle cage bolt

I was working on a customer's road bike last Tuesday, this really nice carbon frame that looked pristine. There was this annoying creak coming from the bottom bracket area every time they pedaled hard. I pulled the cranks, regreased the threads, torqued everything to spec, still squeaked. After swapping pedals and checking the chainring bolts, I finally noticed the bottle cage bolt on the down tube was just a quarter turn loose. Felt like a total idiot, but hey, it happens to all of us right. Has anyone else wasted way too long on a simple fix that you overlooked at first?

27

cora_west5•5d ago

Swapped grease brands on my hub rebuilds and stopped wrecking bearings

Used to swear by Phil Wood waterproof grease for everything, figured thick meant tough. After 6 months of hubs getting rough on cargo bikes in portland rain, I tried Mobile 28 synthetic. Turns out the thick stuff just thrashed the balls on cheap freehub bodies. Anybody else find a grease that handles wet commutes without destroying cheap hubs?

18

the_lucas•7d ago

PSA: That $150 Park Tool cable cutter I bought snapped on the third use

I'm usually a buy once cry once guy. Figured spending big on a Park Tool CN-10 would save me hassle over the cheap $20 cutters from Amazon. Well 3 months later the jaw chipped on a standard shift cable. Took it back to the dealer in Portland and they said it wasn't covered because it's a wear item. $150 down the drain. Meanwhile my buddy's been using the same $15 amazon specials for 2 years. Anyone else had this happen or did I just get a dud?

9

the_robin•8d ago

Switched my mind on cheap cassette tools

Spent $35 on a generic cassette lockring tool from Amazon. It slipped after 3 uses, rounded the edges. Finally bought the Park Tool SR-12 for $50 and it fits perfect every time. Anyone else have a cheap tool fail on you?

22

rosepark•8d ago

Got talked into trying wax chain lube and now I can't go back

I was a heavy oil guy for 15 years but a customer at the shop in Austin insisted I test his bike after he applied Squirt wax. The drivetrain was so quiet and clean I ordered a pot of Molten Speed Wax that night. Anyone else made the switch and found their chains last longer?

16

black.oliver•8d ago

Question about rebuilding a Shimano hub after a shop visit in Portland

Saw a mechanic at River City Bicycles completely skip greasing the pawls on a hub rebuild last month. He said it was faster and the grease just attracts grit anyway. Has anyone else run a hub dry like that and had it hold up long term?

0

fionat55•9d ago

Tried ultrasonic cleaning a greasy freehub body... big mistake

Had a sticky Shimano 105 hub from a 2019 bike. Threw the freehub body in the ultrasonic cleaner at 130 degrees with simple green. Came out looking clean but the bearings felt GRITTY after. Learned the hard way that degreaser gets past those seals every time. Anybody know a better way to clean freehub internals without tearing them completely apart?

-1

jennybailey•25d ago

Every shop I know swears by Park Tool cone wrenches, but I switched to Pedros after a job in August changed my mind for good

I was adjusting hubs on a customers touring bike last month and my Park Tool wrench slipped right off a Shimano cone nut. The edge was just a hair worn down from years of use. I grabbed a Pedros cone wrench I had sitting in the bottom of my box for years and it bit into the nut perfectly with no slop. Three years ago I would have laughed at anyone ditching Park for Pedros but now I see the difference in how the steel is heat treated. Am I crazy for thinking Pedros is actually tougher on older hardware that's already a little beat up?

22

zarat37•26d ago

Just realized my go-to chain tool is older than some mechanics in the shop

I was cleaning out my toolbox last weekend and noticed the date stamp on my Park Tool CT-3. It's from 1995. That tool has been through maybe 40 shops with me, and it still works fine. I looked up how many chains it can supposedly handle, and the old spec sheet said around 500. I didn't believe it so I called Park Tool's customer line, and the guy confirmed they tested them to about 500 chains back then. My current one has to be past that by now. Has anyone else got a tool they've used way past its rated life?

24

henryr45•29d ago

Overheard a customer say tubeless setups are a scam, had to bite my tongue

I was helping a guy at the shop last Saturday and he told the new kid that tubeless tires are just a way to sell more sealant and tape. He swore by tubes after one bad experience where sealant didn't hold a sidewall cut on a 3 year old tire. I get that not everyone wants to deal with the mess, but calling the whole thing a scam? I wanted to ask if he ever burped a tube on a rocky descent or dealt with pinch flats 4 times in one month. Has anyone else run into people who just write off tubeless after a single failed attempt without giving it a proper setup?

18

bell.jessica•1mo ago

Had to rebuild a wheel on the side of the road in rural Vermont

I was riding the Stowe to Burlington route last fall when my rear spokes started snapping one by one about 15 miles in. Didnt have a spare wheel, so I used a park tool spoke wrench I carry and swapped spokes from the front wheel to get the rear rideable. It took nearly two hours in the cold drizzle, but I limped into town. Has anyone else had to cannibalize parts mid-ride like that?

26

logan_anderson40•1mo ago

Dropped $130 on a Knipex cable cutter and it cut through housing like butter

I was fighting with my old cheap cutters for months leaving frayed ends. Worth every penny honestly, has anyone else found one tool that just made the job way easier?

2

schmidt.iris•1mo ago

That shop owner in Minneapolis told me my spoke tensions were all wrong

I was building wheels pretty happy with myself until this old timer watched me for 5 minutes and just shook his head. He said I was chasing the gauge instead of listening to the wheel. I changed my whole method right there, started using a tension meter as a check instead of a guide. Now I spend way more time on truing and stress relieving before I even touch the meter. It felt like starting over but my wheels don't come back with broken spokes anymore. Has anyone else had a shop vet totally change their approach to something basic?

23

scott.alex•1mo ago

That fancy hydraulic brake bleed kit I thought was overpriced actually saved me 2 hours yesterday

Bought one of those Park Tool bleed kits a few months ago after fighting with a turkey baster and tubing for way too long. Figured it was just a waste of money for something I could rig up. Did a full bleed on a customer's Shimano XT brakes yesterday and it took me like 15 minutes start to finish. No mess, no air bubbles stuck in the line, no cursing. Kinda pissed I didn't get one sooner. Anyone else have a tool they were dead wrong about?

22

joseph_green13•1mo ago

Had to pick between a torque wrench and a chain checker last week

I was at my local bike shop in Portland and realized I only had $40 left in my pocket. I needed a chain wear checker bad because my last chain snapped on a group ride and it was embarrassing lol. But I also really wanted a beam style torque wrench for carbon frame work, which was $35. So I stood there for like 10 minutes weighing the options. I went with the chain checker because I figured it would save me money on drivetrain parts in the long run. Good call honestly, I checked my bike at home and the chain was at 0.75 wear already. Has anyone else had to choose between two must-have shop tools on a budget?

21

laura_wilson•1mo ago

Pin spanner finally got me after 5 years of dodging it

I was trying to tighten down a Shimano bottom bracket cup last Tuesday and my pin spanner slipped off the notch. It whipped around and smacked my knuckle right into the chainring bolt. Took me 20 minutes to stop bleeding and find the little pin that flew across the garage. Anyone else have a tool they just can't seem to trust anymore?

4

kim_mason55•1mo ago

Used to swear by spray lube on chains, switched to drip wax after a gritty ride in some New Mexico dust last fall.

I fought the change for two years because drip wax sounded fussy, but after one ride where my chain sounded like a coffee grinder I finally tried it and now I'm never going back to that greasy mess, anyone else had a similar switch that caught you off guard?

2

kevin_williams•1mo ago

Why does every shop use that Park Tool grease for headsets?

Was down at Bicycle Habitat on 77th yesterday helping a buddy with a used bike he bought. Saw the mechanic slathering Park Tool Polylube 1000 on a headset install like it was going out of style. Doesn't that stuff break down over time with water? I've been using Phil Wood waterproof grease for 8 years and never had a creak. What am I missing here?

17

knight.uma•1mo ago

The before and after on hydraulic brake bleeds is wild

Tbh I've been working on bikes for about 6 years now and I noticed a huge difference in how quick I can do a full bleed now compared to when I started. Back then I'd spend 45 minutes fighting air bubbles and making a mess on the floor with a generic bleed kit. Honestly the change came when I switched to a syringe-style bleed kit with the right adapters for Shimano and SRAM. Has anyone else noticed a big jump in speed after upgrading their setup?

19

gracej99•1mo ago

Spent 3 hours chasing a ghost shift on a customer's Shimano 105 drivetrain

I had a bike come in last week where the rear derailleur would just randomly skip under load, but only on the 4th and 7th cogs. I checked the cable tension, lubed the pulleys, even swapped the chain (which was due anyway) and it still did it. Turns out the derailleur hanger was bent by like 1.5mm, but only in one specific spot that I kept missing because I was just eyeballing it. I finally broke down and put the alignment tool on it after two hours of frustration, and lo and behold there it was. Straightened it out in 2 minutes and the shifting was perfect. Anybody else ever spend way too long on something dumb like a nearly invisible hanger bend?