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resolvedCan anyone recommend the best way to learn how to look after a bike, repair punctures etc? I have recently started riding my bike everywhere, but don't have a clue what to do if something goes wrong. Are there
any classes or anything I can attend...I would prefer someone to talk me through rather than read about it, and need someone with patience for slow people.
(sorry if this is the wrong place to post this, or similar already been covered- may be that I am blind)
My method was to roll up the sleeves and get stuck in, but not before making sure I had at least two bikes.
My version of fixing was sometimes so inept that it meant the bike was off the road for days, so I'd use the other one.
The Edinburgh Bicycle Co-Op run courses including "Foundation" and "Intesive" level classes (there is even a "Women's" class, though as far as I can tell womens bikes are pretty much the same as men's but there you go...)
I'm sure you will quickly recover the cost in savings on DIY running repairs and knowing what the mechanic is on about if you take your bike in for things that need specialised tools and skills.
Of course you'll want to do as Uberuce suggests and web sites are a great help when you do. Park Tools do a good site and the major component suppliers have instructions for fitting and repairing components they supply. Shimano are very good at that.
I think you'll enjoy your bike more and be more confident and safe travelling round on it if you know how it works!
I'm sure someone will be along shortly with info on suitable classes, meantime, "Sheldon Brown" is a name to google (I think there is actaully a link on the forum page) for tons of good info on all aspects of bike maintenance. There are also many useful videos on youtube. Of course the fastest way to get quick help/advice is to ask on here ;-) Anyway, hope you get the info you need soon, enjoy the biking (and the weather!)
This - http://www.edinburghbicycle.com/comms/site_events/cycle-maintenance.htm#foundation
All EBC maintenance classes get booked up quickly.
For actual DIY you can hire a stand at the Bike Station by the hour and be shown what to do.
For basic basics - fixing a flat - you need to know how to (and have tools for) -
Remove wheel
Remove tube from tyre
Put in new tube
Replace wheel
It's a good skill to know how to fix a tube, but it's quicker to replace one when you're out.
You have to have one with you - and some tools.
Don't forget that if you have a breakdown you can hail a cab.
(You'll be able to afford one occasionally with all the money you'll save cycling.)
OR you could get to Zazou by about 8:30 and get shown some basic basic basics.
I did a full day course at EBC a few years ago and have put 90% of it into practice so far. I think the only difference with ladies & mixed classes is the gender of people there, not the content. It was a great experience, loads of useful tricks and hands-on practice (take your own bike), and had a tasty sandwich/cake provided at lunch too.
On flats, I do like to inflate the new or fixed tube a fair bit then deflate fully then inflate again if I can remember to avoid pinching. Also I like to check very thoroughly for the piece of glass, nail, hawthorn etc and multiples thereof to avoid instant repetition. I have had many of these alas.
Uberuce: "My method was to roll up the sleeves and get stuck in, but not before making sure I had at least two bikes"
Ha! I've learned a fair bit from taking my bike in to Bicycleworks and watching them fix whatever was broken. Useful for getting an idea of how hard to tighten things and what's considered acceptable regarding speed of gear shift, transmission noise, braking power etc.
I did the full day course at EBC several years ago and have put none of it into practice because I can't retain the information that way. It's no use teaching me a practical skill one day and then expecting me to remember it two weeks later - I need to be talked through the task as I do it, probably several times, until it sinks in. So think about your learning style before you book an EBC course - if you're like me and need to be shown and kept right a few times, it might not be the best use of your money.
Thank you for all your advice. I might try a course, but Kirst might be right - I will probably forget everything unless I do it myself a few times. Is it normal to need to do lots of repairs on bikes? I haven't needed to do anything to it apart from pump the tire in the last year or so (before that it was taken to a bicycle repair shop who fixed it up), but am using it more now.
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For out-on-the-road repairs I think fixing a flat is the most likely and frequent thing you'll have to do. You can always practice at home!
There's lots of great "how to" videos on youtube that will help as they talk you through it and you can see what to do. Even the best diagrams in books sometimes don't really help.
The spoke nipple tightening diagram in the Zinn book always melts my brain as it can easily be interpreted that you turn the spokes either direction. I end up with the book on the floor, the wheel on top of the book and having to "get inside the spoke key" to make sure I'm tightening and not slackening.
"Is it normal to need to do lots of repairs on bikes?"
That's the 'piece of string' question!
Sounds like you have been fairly lucky.
A lot depends on mileage and general quality of bike/components.
This is not directly related to price. Simple/traditional bikes can run for years with minimal attention, but multi-speed 'high end' bikes might need a lot more care to keep them in good condition.
This is one reason behind the fashion/craze/practicality rise of singlespeeds.
There have been various discussions on here about the desirability of regular maintenance and whether to 'replace when a bit worn' or 'run until it fails'!
Some of the issues here - Annual service costs? WARNING - there are some high mileage and also some 'expensive bicycle habit' people on here. There is also 'standard CCE thread drift'.
Cost is of course a good enough reason to do some of your own 'preventative maintenance' and DIY.
Basic basics are keep tyres blown up hard - easier to ride and wear less quickly.
The other things that deserve attentions are the brakes. Inevitably the blocks wear and the cables also stretch and they can become less effective. Simple/quick adjustment can be done on many bikes with the adjuster where the cables meets the brake levers.
If the gears stop working 'cleanly', a small turn of the knob where the cable meets the rear gear changer can make a BIG differences and give you a real sense of achievement!
If your bike is a main means of transport and you don't want to do too much yourself an annual service at your favourite bike shop will become routine.
And don't forget to oil your chain when it needs it.
Thank you everyone for all your advice. My bicycle is over 12 years old (and was not expensive) so it is lasting quite well- although there are some years it was mostly unused. I think a bicycle shop replaced one of the tyres and tubes last year (or two years ago) so maybe that helps. One of my tyres seems to have cracks in it.
I will have a look at the brakes and the gears, and see if I can make sense of them. I have never tried to oil the chain ever, but I think I should learn as have been riding my bike nearly everyday for the last few weeks apart from yesterday and today.
Definately oil the chain! People will rabbit on endlessly over what is the "best" lube/oil, but tbh as long as it is not rusty and moves freely then you're doing ok ;-)
If a tyre is cracking I'd have a good careful look and consider whether it needs replacing.
Also if there is a coffee morning you can make sometime soon there is nothing like having (several pairs of) more experienced eyes around when/if you decide to have a play with various adjustments.
To be fair, if the tyres are nice and hard, the chain and wheels turn freely and the brakes work then you are well on the way, every little improvement you can make will to the various parts contribute to making cycling a little easier, and the bike nicer to ride, but the key thing is to get out and enjoy it :-)
Absolutely endorse Smudge here - I was cruising home this evening with an accordion in place of a stoker, enjoying the pootle with a free-running chain and gears that just worked. A real pleasure, despite the weather!
Robert
Standby whilst I dredge this thread from the depths...
*Dredge*.
Right. Does anyone else struggle to remove rear wheels, or is it just me? The only online tip I've found is to shift to the smallest sprocket, but I have to do that, loosen the rear derailleur and pivot backwards, wrestle wheel downwards, and generally hurl abuse at the thing to get the wheel out.
It's particularly grim on the tourer, but not much easier on the MetaBike.
I don't need to shift to the smallest sprocket to remove mine, but doing so makes it easier to reattach, or less likely to result in mangling when setting off again if I forget to put the chain back where the shifter thinks it should be.
Generally, if I've remembered to disengage the brake noodle, a thumb to push the derailleur rearwards is enough to enable the wheel to be lifted cleanly-ish out, where it catches the ground-proximal stretch of chain on its way away from the bike, but there's usually enough slack to lift it high enough for the wheel to clear the mudguard/chainstays/dropouts in order to tilt it sideways and move it downwards to disengage it from the groundward portion of the chain. At least the rear can generally be removed with only a couple of twists of the QR tightener, whereas the front needs several extra mm clearance to clear those sticky-outy bits.
Easiest imho with the bike upside down (frowned upon if you have hydraulic brakes) but I don't have a bike stand so upside down it goes.
Which makes it a 10 second operation to undo the QR, stand behind the bike and with the left hand move the derailleur so that the chain clears the cassette, and lift the wheel out with the right hand.
Never a clean operation though - at least not on my bikes !
Turning my bike upside-down is one of the fiddliest bits as I have to put half of a spare pair of shoes under each prong of the handlebars to stop it falling over after snapping the camera fitting and putting the light out of position. Someday I'll mount them both underneath the bars and trim off my excess steerer.
I think I managed to get the rear wheel off the bikes that have quick-release OK.
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the Brompton is a whole different story...
;-)
I find this much easier on the summer bike than the winter bike. Reasons seem to be lack of permanent mudguards and different derailleur (sora vs 105).
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