The dreadful realisation that you need to find a new bike shop...

[geordieracer]

Title says it all really. After a number of good years using one of the three (yup I'm spoilt for choice) bike shops in my home town for repairs and parts we've reached the point where seperation is the only way forward.

I've had a few niggles where bikes have come back from servicing not quite right lately and then I end up spending time on them - I only put them in for service when I've not technically got time myself - and the final straw was today's phone call. 6 weeks ago I dropped the favourite mountain bike in for a drive train over haul and hub fettle. Initailly they said they were busy and have a part time mechanic now, so I might have to wait a week to ten days, this rolled on to three weeks and I went off on holiday, leaving my parents with instructions to collect... Three weeks on and the mechanic "can't do the repairs, sorry."

Six weeks to admit they haven't a capable mechanic... Frustrating to say the least

Picking the bike up tomorrow, and off to a chap I've heard is speedy, and called in on today, as his workshop resembles my garage I have a little faith, wish me luck!!

[Jimbo.]

Teach yourself to do it. A copy of "Zinn and the art of bike maintenance" for £20 and you're away

[Furberger]

The silver lining is that you don't have to let any spanner monkey mess with your pride and joy ever again!

[geordieracer]

There's not a lot I can't do already - except derailleurs they are still a bit of a black art - but I have to chuck the bikes in when I don't have the time!

Oh and I'm lazy too; I often have to fettle the works bikes, and I'm damned if I can be bothered to fettle my own when I get home.

That said, I have just been given a what i reckon is a 1980s small road frame so I may have to find time...

Edited by geordieracer on Sunday 9th September 23:52

[daz3210]

Its always nice to have the comfort of 'quality control'.

My restoration project is heading to the LBS, not just for the derailleur sorting tomorrow, but also fr that second set of eyes giving it a look over.

[BOBTEE]

Setting the derailleur isn't that hard once you suss it. A work stand makes it so much easier. I watched a few vids on youtube and then kept at it till I could do it

[Justin S]

99 % of gear problems is cables. Always try to index one gear. If that sets up fine with decent cables the others will follow suit. Rule of thumb when setting up gears , make sure that the upper jocket wheel is central to its plain, as it has a built in sideways movement, that will get the set up sweeter if you check that. Never needed a bikeshop for 20 years now and dont intend to change that , other than buying bits I need.

[S10GTA]

I dropped a wheel of to be aligned several weeks ago. I had a call which went along the lines of "its fked, needs a full rebuild and going to cost a bucket load to fix"

I collected the wheel and dropped it off at a bloke who works from his house. £10 later and it was good as new...

[sleep envy]

Justin S said:

99 % of gear problems is cables. Always try to index one gear. If that sets up fine with decent cables the others will follow suit. Rule of thumb when setting up gears , make sure that the upper jocket wheel is central to its plain, as it has a built in sideways movement, that will get the set up sweeter if you check that. Never needed a bikeshop for 20 years now and dont intend to change that , other than buying bits I need.

Any chance you could explain that in numpty speak, gears are the only thing I won't touch but am itching to learn.

[Some Gump]

ttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_KNGQFPT9U&feature=youtube_gdata_player

I trid 3 guides, this was the ne that worked. Do rear first, front second.

[Justin S]

sleep envy said:

Any chance you could explain that in numpty speak, gears are the only thing I won't touch but am itching to learn.

Look at gear cables logically. Gear outer needs to be flowing and smooth, no tight ( or minimal) bends and decently internally lined. Gear cables outers are straight stranded, unlike brake cables, so that tension on the cable doesnt crush the outer and cause indexing to got out. Always use a stainless or coated cable. Using a galvanised cable will have a rough finish and in time will corrode and cause gear cable sticking. Consider on a bike that they are also consumables. I change my MTB's probably every year and my roadbike( well only had it a week, but previously) maybe every 2 years, depending on conditions they are ridden in.
Before you connect the cable to the rear mech, set up the stops for the upper and lower limits for the mech movement on the cassette. Move it by hand while pedalling the bike on a stand. Then feed in the cable. Dont pull the cable totally taught, as the first shift always has a slight additional travel to take up the slack. Set on the second sprocket, when you get it to shift up and then look at the top jockey wheel. See that it is central to the cage it is bolted onto. Then shift up a few gears and check all is fine.It is a 'little art' to get it right first time, but its not too difficult, just takes a bit of patience.

[daz3210]

When you say second sprocket do you mean second smallest, or second biggest?

It always gets confusing that you go smaller for a higher effort (Faster) gear.

[Justin S]

Second sprocket up. Its the first under proper tension.

[baldy1926]

S10GTA said:

I dropped a wheel of to be aligned several weeks ago. I had a call which went along the lines of "its fked, needs a full rebuild and going to cost a bucket load to fix"

I collected the wheel and dropped it off at a bloke who works from his house. £10 later and it was good as new...

where was that

[New POD]

geordieracer said:

There's not a lot I can't do already - except derailleurs they are still a bit of a black art

]

Really ? How had could they be. Check out ParkTools http://www.parktool.com/blog/repair-help/categorie...

[S10GTA]

baldy1926 said:

S10GTA said:

I dropped a wheel of to be aligned several weeks ago. I had a call which went along the lines of "its fked, needs a full rebuild and going to cost a bucket load to fix"

I collected the wheel and dropped it off at a bloke who works from his house. £10 later and it was good as new...

where was that

In Southampton