Stopped by a co-op in Portland last month and every mechanic there was using Pedro's or some random no-name brand tools. The guy said Park got too expensive for stuff that breaks just as fast. Anyone else seeing shops move away from the big brands?
Took a customer's bike out for a quick spin around the block near my shop in Portland and the shifting felt off. Pulled over to check it and the hanger just gave way with barely any pressure. Luckily I had a spare Wolf Tooth hanger in stock that fit, got it swapped in 10 minutes. Anyone else keep running into these newer hangers being way too fragile?
My guy Dave at the shop kept saying just use flush cutters on brake housing, no need for a proper cable cutter. I told him he was nuts, that it would fray everything. After 8 months of watching him do it clean every time, I finally tried it on a Campagnolo setup. Damn if it didn't work perfect, no fraying at all. Been doing it that way for 3 weeks now and it saves me a minute per cable. Anyone else ditch their Park cable cutter for something simpler?
He said it gunks up the freehub pawls over time and causes skipping. I figured he was just being a grumpy old timer. Then I had a customer's bike come back three times with a sticky freehub. Cleaned all that grease out of the ratcheting mechanism and it's been fine every since. Any of you guys just use a dry lube or thin oil on the chain whip instead?
I grabbed a pack of KMC quick links last week from the bin in the back, didn't think twice. Got home to swap a chain on a customer's hybrid and the thing wouldn't snap shut, it was for an 8 speed but the chain was actually 9. Turns out the packaging got mixed up on the shelf, I wasted 20 minutes wrestling with it. Anyone else find weird batch mismatches on these newer packs, or just my bad luck?
I was working at a bike co-op in Tucson last spring and this old mechanic showed up with a wheel so bent I almost laughed, but he had it straight in 8 minutes using just a spoke wrench and a zip tie as a reference. He said he never uses a truing stand anymore because it slows him down and makes you overthink every little wobble. So what do you all think - is ditching the stand for a zip tie and some feel a valid method or just a shortcut that'll bite you later?
A guy brought his road bike in last week and pointed at the black gunk all over his chainstay and rear derailleur. He said 'you guys just spray and walk away dont you.' Honestly he was right I was being lazy. Now I wipe down the chain and cassettes before I lube and put a rag behind the cassette to catch overspray. Takes an extra 2 minutes but the bikes look way cleaner. Anyone else have a customer call them out on something basic like that?
Last month I finally replaced the factory cables and housing with some basic Jagwire stuff and it shifts like new again. Turns out the factory lube just dries up and turns into gritty paste over time. Anyone else notice a night and day difference just from fresh cables and housing?
I pulled apart a customer's bike last week and found the headset bearings were completely rusted solid. The grease had turned into crusty clay after just 2 winters of salt spray. Has anyone else seen these cheap sealed cartridges fall apart way faster than they should?
I was skeptical for years because everyone says use bike-specific stuff, but after a wet ride last month in Seattle I tore it down and the marine grease held up way better with zero water intrusion. Has anyone else made the swap and noticed a difference long term?
I rebuilt my old touring bike last month and put the pedals on with way too much grease. Figured more lube equals less problems. Two weeks later the left pedal started clicking on every rotation. Took me an hour of swearing to realize the excess grease had softened the aluminum threads and they backed out slightly. Had to helicoil the crank arm as a fix. Anyone else ever overdo it on pedal grease and wreck a thread?
I used to spend forever trying to get even spoke tension by feel and my wheels always ended up wobbling a bit. Then like 3 months ago a customer told me he uses a guitar tuner app to ping each spoke and tune it by pitch. I laughed at first but tried it on my own bike and honestly the wheels came out way truer than anything I did before. Now I do it for every build. Has anyone else tried this or am I late to the party lol
I was just riding through Riverside Park last weekend when this kid, maybe 12 years old, flagged me down because his chain had come off and he was stuck. He said he'd been trying to fix it for 20 minutes but couldn't get the derailleur to line up. I showed him how to use a stick to push the chain back on instead of touching the greasy parts, and he was so excited when it worked. Then he told me he saved up for two months to buy that bike from a pawn shop for $60. He asked if I could show him how to clean the chain too, so I pulled out an old rag and walked him through it. Has anyone else had a random roadside repair turn into a teaching moment like that?
Was in a shop in Denver last month and the guy working there saw my chain and straight up told me I was drowning it in lube. Said I should only put one drop per roller and wipe off the excess. I'd been doing the whole 'spin the pedals and coat everything' method for like 5 years. Anyone else get embarrassed by a pro pointing out basic stuff?
I had to rip the derailleur off, shorten the chain, and single-speed it back to the trailhead, but now I'm wondering if anyone carries a spare hanger on longer rides or just risks it.
I had a guy come in last month with a custom build I did for him. He said the shifting felt sluggish and the housing was rubbing against his frame. I took a look and sure enough, I had routed the rear derailleur cable under the bottom bracket without enough slack. He was right - it was too tight and creating friction. I've always done cables that way because it looks clean, but after that I started routing them along the top tube where they have more room to move. Now I'm split between the two methods. The under-bracket route looks better but the top tube route works better. Has anyone else had a customer call them out on something they thought was standard practice?
I was reading the Park Tool blog last night and found out a chain should have about 1/2 to 3/4 inch of vertical play at the middle of the span, not the tight-as-a-guitar-string feel I've been running for years. Anyone else ever over-tighten their chain and wonder why shifting felt off?
I was at a group ride last Saturday and this old mechanic said you don't need carbon paste on aluminum stems because it just clogs the bolts and hides loose fits, but doesn't the friction actually stop slipping - anyone else run bare metal and had a stem shift on them?
I was pretty loyal to Park Tool brand for years. Then I overheard this old mechanic at a shop in Portland say their cone wrenches are way too thick for modern hubs. He showed me how a $7 set of generic thin wrenches from a hardware store fits better and doesn't round off the flats. I tried it on a Shimano hub last weekend and he was right, no slipping at all. Anyone else find cheaper tools that work better than the big brands?
I bought a no-name chain whip off Amazon for 12 bucks last month to replace my cassette. First time I used it on a Shimano 11-speed, the pins dug right into my hands because the handle flexed so bad. The chain slipped off the cog and I ended up scratching my dropout pretty good. Has anyone else had luck with a budget chain tool or should I just spring for a Park Tool one this time?
I read a test from a bike magazine that checked 10 different chain wear tools and only one gave the right reading every time. Has anyone else double checked their gauge against a ruler?
After wrestling with a stuck bottom bracket cup on a 2008 Fuji Roubaix for two hours I finally caved and bought the BBT-9 and it popped off in 30 seconds flat, has anyone else had a tool that made you question why you didn't buy it sooner?
Was swapping out old Jagwire cables on my road bike last night and got a kink halfway through the housing, so I threaded a thin zip tie through the whole thing to fish the cable straight and it worked perfectly, has anyone else found random household fixes that beat actual bike tools?
Walked into this tiny repair co-op in SE Portland last week and they had a sign saying no disc brake installs on carbon forks, period. I get the liability angle but is that actually a common policy or just one shop being overly cautious?
I was coming down Old San Marcos Road near Santa Barbara last Saturday, hitting maybe 30 mph when my chain just let go. It jammed into my derailleur and locked up my rear wheel for a split second. I managed to skid to a stop without crashing, but my heart was pounding for ten minutes. Turned out I had a worn quick link that I'd reused one too many times. Has anyone else had a chain fail like that on a fast downhill?