c/fix-your-own-bike

Old bike mechanic called me lazy for not truing wheels myself

Guy at the co-op in Portland straight up told me I was wasting money paying shops. He grabbed my wheel, spun it. Said 'you can fix this with a $20 spoke wrench, stop being afraid.' Stuck with me because he was right. I just didn't want to mess up a $300 wheel. Anyone else have a shop guy shame you into learning something?

Fixed my own flat tire on a trail and felt like a hero for 5 minutes

So I was riding out at Brown County State Park last Saturday like 6 miles from the parking lot and my rear tire just went psssshhhh instantly. Of course I forgot my pump at home so I had to dig out my old hand pump from under the car seat. Took me like 20 minutes to find the thorn stuck in the tire and patch the tube in the dirt. I was sweating and my hands were covered in mud but man when that tire held air again I felt like I won something. It was stupid hot out and I almost called for a ride but I kept at it. Now I always carry a spare tube and a better pump after that. Has anyone else had a trail fix that went way worse than mine? Just curious how bad it can get out there.

Worst week for chain maintenance I've ever had

Last Tuesday I had 3 chains snap on 3 different bikes in 5 days. First one was on my commuter going up a hill, second was my mountain bike on a chill trail, third was my kid's bike just sitting in the garage. Anyone else have a cursed stretch like this or am I just forgetting to lube?

Had to pick between used Park Tool truing stand or new cheap one off Amazon

Went with the used Park Tool after reading 50 reviews about the Amazon ones breaking after a few wheels. Found it on marketplace for $120. Thing is built like a tank even if it's scratched up. But now I'm wondering if I'm just bad at truing wheels or if this stand needs some adjustment. Has anyone else bought used tools and regretted it or found a trick to calibrate older stands?

Finally figured out why my chain kept slipping on the big hill

Tried replacing the cassette and chain separately but it still slipped until I learned you have to replace both at the same time to match the wear patterns. Anyone else waste money on just one part first before figuring that out?

Got my old 90s mountain bike shifting again after 4 years sitting in the shed

Hot take: that guy at the bike co-op who told me to stop using WD-40 on my chain was totally wrong

Spent $60 on a chain checker tool and it paid for itself in one fix

I kept thinking my chain was fine because it looked okay and shifted smooth. Then I bought a Park Tool chain checker for about 60 bucks online. Turns out my chain had stretched way past the limit without me noticing. I replaced it right away and saved my cassette from getting worn down too. That tool basically saved me from having to buy a whole new drivetrain which would have cost like 200 dollars. Has anyone else caught a worn chain with a checker before it caused bigger damage?

Spent 4 hours fixing a shifting issue that turned out to be a cable housing cut 2mm too short

I was chasing a ghost in my rear derailleur for way too long. Replaced the cable, adjusted the limit screws, even took the whole thing apart and greased the pivots. Then I finally measured the housing and realized I had trimmed it just a hair short when I replaced it last month. That tiny bit of friction was enough to mess up every shift. Has anyone else spent an afternoon on something that dumb before?

Tried truing a wheel on a park stand and nearly threw the whole thing into a ditch

I was fixing a wobbly rear wheel on my gravel bike last Saturday in my garage, and the spoke tension was so off I kept overtightening then loosening, and after 45 minutes the wheel was somehow wobbling worse than before I started - has anyone else had a wheel that just fights back no matter what you do?

After 6 months of spray lubes I finally switched to wax for my chain

I stuck with spray chain lube for years because it's what everyone at the local shop recommended. But after re-building a bike for my nephew this spring, I decided to try the wax dip method on my commuter bike. The difference is night and day - my chain stays clean for weeks instead of getting grimy after one rainy ride. No more wiping black gunk off my leg every time I pedal. Anyone else made the switch and found that wax lasts way longer between applications?

Finally got my gears shifting smooth after a trip to the bike park

I was at Ray's Indoor MTB Park in Cleveland last weekend and noticed every bike there shifted like butter, even the rentals. Watched a mechanic spend 5 minutes adjusting a rear derailleur with just a screwdriver and zip tie, and I copied it on my own bike today. Anyone else pick up a random tip from watching a shop tech work on a stranger's bike?

Spent an hour chasing a ghost shift, finally figured out the trick

I kept seeing people swear by the 'paper trick' for aligning derailleurs but I was convinced it was a waste of time. Then my buddy Frank showed me his method using a Park Tool DAG-2.3 hanger alignment gauge and I realized being off by 2mm was making my chain skip on the 11t cog. Now I check hanger straightness first before touching the limit screws, saves me like 20 minutes every time. Anyone else find that alignment tools are worth the money over just eyeballing it?

Had to pick between a new chain or a cassette last week

My bike started skipping gears on my commute to work in Austin last Tuesday. I popped into the shop and the guy said I could either replace just the chain for $25 or do the cassette too for $70 total. I went cheap and just got the chain cause I figured I could push the cassette another few months. Took it home, swapped it out in my driveway, and the skipping got even worse. Turns out my cassette was so worn the new chain wouldn't bite into the old teeth. Ended up ordering the cassette online for $45 and waiting 4 days to ride again. Has anyone else learned this lesson the hard way with drivetrain parts?

Found out my chain was 2 links too long for 6 months

I was out riding last week and my bike started making this weird slapping noise. Took it to a buddy's garage and he counted my chain links. Turns out I had been riding with 2 extra links since I replaced it back in April. No idea how I missed it but that extra slack was probably costing me power on every pedal stroke. Found the right length on a Park Tool video after he pointed me to it. Has anyone else accidentally ran a too-long chain and noticed a difference in shifting or noise?

My brake cable snapped going down a steep hill last Tuesday

I was coasting down Pine Street near the old bridge when the rear brake lever went totally limp, so I had to drag my foot and steer into a grassy patch to stop, and now I'm wondering if anyone has tried those coated cables that claim to last longer than standard ones.

Shoutout to the guy at REI who told me I was over-torquing my thru-axles

He watched me wrenching down my rear wheel outside the Denver store and said 'you're gonna strip that frame if you keep cranking like that.' So now I'm torn between using a torque wrench every time or just going by feel like I always have. Any of you actually use a torque wrench on your bike or is that just for shop guys?

Learned the hard way about chain stretch at 500 miles

Never believed chain stretch was real. Thought it was a scam to sell parts. Rode my hardtail 500 miles without checking. Shifted like garbage on a climb near Red Rocks. Measured it myself - 0.75% worn. Replaced it and a worn cassette. Now I check every 3 rides.

Tried wd-40 on a stuck pedal, learned a better trick by accident

Had this old bike pedal seized on the crank arm. Soaked it in wd-40 for two days, nothing budged. Then I remembered a guy at the shop saying heat helps. Hit it with a hair dryer for five minutes, tapped the end with a hammer, and it twisted right off. Anyone else got a weird shortcut for stuck parts?

I hit 10,000 miles on a chain that everyone said would snap at 5,000

Everyone in my local group swears you gotta swap your chain every 3,000 miles or it's gonna fail on you. I ran a KMC X11 on my gravel bike here in Portland for a full year and just crossed 10,000 miles with zero issues. Checked it with a chain wear gauge last week and it's still within spec, so I'm keeping it going. Anyone else push a chain way past what the forums say?

Why do bike shops keep pushing indexed shifters like they're the only option?

I was at Velofix in Portland last month getting a cable replaced and the guy tried to sell me on some pricey indexed shifters when my old friction shifters work just fine. Has anyone else noticed shops acting like friction shifting is some ancient secret nobody should touch anymore?

Tried a zip tie method to set my brake pads and it actually saved me 45 minutes

I've been fighting with new disc brake pads for months now on my old Trek mountain bike. They'd always rub no matter how careful I was centering the caliper. Last weekend I was about to give up again when a guy at the local bike shop in Portland mentioned clamping a zip tie around the brake lever before tightening the caliper bolts. I figured it was worth a shot since I had nothing to lose. I put in fresh pads, squeezed the lever, wrapped a zip tie tight around it to hold pressure, then loosened and retightened the caliper bolts. When I cut the zip tie off and spun the wheel, the rotor was dead center with zero rub. First time in 3 years I didn't have to fiddle with it for an hour afterward. Has anyone else tried this trick or do you have a different method that works better for sticky calipers?

Went to a co-op bike shop and nobody was fixing their own bikes

I stopped by the community bike co-op in Portland last Saturday to grab a used chainring. Place was busy, but almost everyone was paying the staff to fix their flats and adjust their shifters. The whole point of that place is supposed to be learning to do it yourself, right? Tools on the wall, stands available, volunteers to help. But I watched three people just hand over their bikes and sit on the curb scrolling phones. Kinda rubbed me the wrong way. Has anyone else noticed this at their local co-op?

Warning: That fancy chain cleaning tool I bought was a total scam

I picked up a Park Tool Cyclone chain cleaner for $45 last month because everyone online swore by it. First time I used it, the brushes fell apart and it leaked solvent all over my garage floor in Denver. I went back to using a rag and a plastic bottle with some Simple Green, and my chain is actually cleaner now. Has anyone else had a tool that looked great but just didn't work?

Thought bleeding a single brake line would take 15 minutes, took me 3 hours

I was swapping out my old brake hoses on my mountain bike and figured I'd be done in under an hour. But getting all the air out of the system was a nightmare, especially at the caliper end. Turns out I was doing the lever pumping wrong the whole time and had to re-watch a Park Tool video three times. Did anyone else have their first brake bleed turn into a whole afternoon project?