Powered by Outside

Little Tricks while in the shop

PB Forum :: Mechanics' Lounge
Little Tricks while in the shop
Author Message
flag roamfortheloam
Posted: Oct 1, 2007 at 22:05 Quote
pattyosullivan wrote:
a few good shop tricks are:
1) when threading anything in (esp pedals) always use your fingers and grease first to make sure you dont cross-thread. once they're in all the way, tighten them with your pedal wrench
2) only tighten down stem caps till they begin to resist, otherwise you can break them easily
3) an old cut up bike tube and some zip-ties make a perfect chainstay protector
4) air compressors are a must for a shop so you can quickly inflate tires, clean off dirty parts, remove and install grips, and can fire valve caps at your friends
5) fire is an amazing fix for getting oil off brake pads and rotors
6) lastly, a shop apron can help alot cuz it can hold tools you need to use again soon, keep you from getting your badass riding shirt and shorts dirty or stained, and generally makes you look pretty cool, especially in front of the ladies

hope these shop tips help

true that on air compressors, you can also shoot old grips at ur buddies too. and yes i never start working without my apron, definate stud factor
flag thud
Posted: Oct 1, 2007 at 22:14 Quote
mcclave17 wrote:
pattyosullivan wrote:
a few good shop tricks are:
1) when threading anything in (esp pedals) always use your fingers and grease first to make sure you dont cross-thread. once they're in all the way, tighten them with your pedal wrench
2) only tighten down stem caps till they begin to resist, otherwise you can break them easily
3) an old cut up bike tube and some zip-ties make a perfect chainstay protector
4) air compressors are a must for a shop so you can quickly inflate tires, clean off dirty parts, remove and install grips, and can fire valve caps at your friends
5) fire is an amazing fix for getting oil off brake pads and rotors
6) lastly, a shop apron can help alot cuz it can hold tools you need to use again soon, keep you from getting your badass riding shirt and shorts dirty or stained, and generally makes you look pretty cool, especially in front of the ladies

hope these shop tips help

true that on air compressors, you can also shoot old grips at ur buddies too. and yes i never start working without my apron, definate stud factor

i shall memorize these now but imnot so sure bout the fire bit might end up in a garage or 2 been burnt id have to try this out side
flag hard-core-biker
Posted: Oct 1, 2007 at 22:34 Quote
i havent fixed anything on my bike since august (havent ridden since), but i'll try to remember some of my tricks

1. keep your shop clean - makes working alot easier
2. write down the way you disassemble something, then just do the reverse to put it back together
3. never tighten a dry bolt - always use either a drop of loctite (rotor bolts, etc) or a drop of motor oil to prevent seizing (normal 5 or 10w30 works fine)
4. lube your shifter cable(s) regularly with one of those fancy cable lubers from any auto parts store - this makes shifting alot easier, even if you thought it was easy before

thats about all i can remember, sorry, good tips though
flag rossb
Posted: Oct 2, 2007 at 7:40 Quote
-Ever wonder what you can do with digital camera? If you're taking anything apart, take a few shots before there are 100 peices lying on your floor... it really helps when you put it back together again.

-When you take your hubs apart, and before the ball bearings fall all over the floor, count them. It is always a good idea to have the same number installed when you put them back together.

-If you can get a syringe with a large flushing needle on it (the type dentists give you) they are perfect for dropping a small bit of oil on the pivot points of your derailleurs.

-No matter how tempted you are to take apart your shifters don't. I can mail you a few sets to show you why (or at least take a few snap shots before you take the springs apart).
r:
flag gibson19
Posted: Oct 2, 2007 at 12:01 Quote
rossb wrote:

-When you take your hubs apart, and before the ball bearings fall all over the floor, count them. It is always a good idea to have the same number installed when you put them back together.


I've also found when working with hubs make sure you have some really small tweezers and cover the bearings in lots of grease so they stick will to the inside of the hub
flag lbobbitt513
Posted: Oct 2, 2007 at 12:34 Quote
gibson19 wrote:
rossb wrote:

-When you take your hubs apart, and before the ball bearings fall all over the floor, count them. It is always a good idea to have the same number installed when you put them back together.


I've also found when working with hubs make sure you have some really small tweezers and cover the bearings in lots of grease so they stick will to the inside of the hub

and use bowls, bowls are perfect to keep all your pieces from running away
flag dotca
Posted: Oct 2, 2007 at 15:41 Quote
[Quote="lbobbitt513"][Quote="gibson19"]
rossb wrote:



and use bowls, bowls are perfect to keep all your pieces from running away

or a box or a bucket. Anything to hold your parts in.
flag kylefarnum
Posted: Oct 12, 2007 at 23:58 Quote
to hold my wheel bearings i used a WD-40 cap...worked good..kept em all in there.
i made a mix in the cap too..and cleaned em ahah.

dont re-use bearings if they are dull looking.

i went into my LBS and they had a bottle of the small wheel bearings...
they poured some into their hand, and put them into a bag for me and said "yeah..they arent worth anything..have fun."
flag jonlake
Posted: Oct 13, 2007 at 0:08 Quote
if you end up with a hagardly stiped bolt simply find a torque key (same things for rotor bolts) and simple use that puppy isnce it has a diff surface it should work, less messy then le acksaw
flag kylefarnum
Posted: Oct 13, 2007 at 0:15 Quote
how the hell do u shoot tire valve caps
flag jonlake
Posted: Oct 13, 2007 at 0:19 Quote
put them on an air compressor...hold on this is the difficult part...squeeze the lever "trigger" and volia your buddy just lost an eye thanks to your childish ignorance.
flag fufalump
Posted: Oct 13, 2007 at 10:54 Quote
My best hint? Dont be afraid to get dirty. Too many people sit there with rubber gloves or a stick of sorts to apply grease, change chains, or remove ball bearings. If you just get in there and go at it, life becomes so much easier and you're no longer that wuss mechanic.

Also, always have the right tools for the job, if it isnt right, it wont work without some kind of repercussion.

Finally, dont be afraid to get something perfect. If you send back a hub that isn't properly adjusted, it can be your ass on the line, and the customer wasted his/her money. If you cant do it, ask for help, but never send back something that isn't 100% or damn near close to it. If you wouldn't let your grandma ride it to church, it doesnt go out.
flag kylefarnum
Posted: Oct 13, 2007 at 12:52 Quote
wow...never knew how to shoot the caps haha...but yea...that would be so sketch
flag gibson19
Posted: Oct 13, 2007 at 13:28 Quote
I just learnt another one today...

Make sure the nozzle thing at the end of an air compressor hose is on securely and doesn't shoot off
flag kylefarnum
Posted: Oct 14, 2007 at 20:19 Quote
hahahahahahahahaha^^^^^^ how was that for u

 


Copyright © 2000 - 2024. Pinkbike.com. All rights reserved.
dv56 0.016608
Mobile Version of Website