Video: A Mid-Winter Downhill Rebuild

Jan 29, 2024
by Pinkbike Originals  

Sit back, relax, and enjoy the sounds of a mid-winter workshop service.

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144 Comments
  • 185 5
 Wouldn't you give the bike a wash before you start giving it a rebuild?
  • 29 9
 Yep - fair.
  • 39 8
 What was that? At least on the "Dream Bikes" channel, everything is clean! Watching the tear down and listening to all the grindy dirt noise was making my skin crawl and then he put parts back still dirty, WTF???
  • 7 3
 Thought the same, this way you will have almost guaranteed creaking because some grit will get on the threads and bearing surfaces.
  • 15 6
 Yeah kinda stopped watching after I saw him start breaking it down with all the dirt still on it. Ew.
  • 4 3
 Theres just something not quite right about a strip down with a dirty bike / parts...*sick emoji*
  • 22 0
 What is this bike wash you speak of?
  • 48 9
 I disagree w everyone insisting that the bike be spotless before the teardown. So what if the surfaces of the frame have some watermarks on them? How does that affect any of the bearings he is getting at? You can disassemble things dirty as long as you clean before reassembly. The only point where he should have done some cleaning before hand was when he slid the fork stanchions out of their clamp. That dirt could scratch the stanchions during the removal but even then it's on a non functional part of the stanchion (seals won't be sliding up on the surface that high). Otherwise he cleaned and greased all the surfaces well enough during reinstalling. Idk why the armchair mechanics think some great sin has been committed here.
  • 3 1
 @freestyIAM: Yeah, it wasn't pristine, but that looked like a bike that was washed after some final laps. Maybe they thought they'd have another day in the park, but instead it sat until winter maintenance time.
  • 8 1
 But it's just going to get dirty again...
  • 8 5
 Bunch a friggin' cupcakes. It's a DH bike. So long as it is reasonably clean its no big deal. You're going to detail and clean every nook and cranny anyways.
  • 5 0
 @SickEdit: OTOH there is no better way to clean a bike completely than when all the parts are separated. The threads and bearing surfaces are clean when it comes to the point of mounting them again.
  • 3 7
flag heavyp FL (Jan 29, 2024 at 17:11) (Below Threshold)
 Welcome to Pinkbike where we will teach you bad habits from the second the video starts!

The equivalent to this is watching a clean bike get a service being filmed at home on an iphone in the back yard! , the production level/cost for a bike thats not even been washed is a huge oversight!
  • 3 1
 It’s like when someone lists a bike for sale without cleaning it
  • 192 12
 I think you all need to just relax a bit. I rode the piss out of the bike, got it destroyed with mud, hosed it down, and put it in the stand. It's a bicycle, not the family china. Everyone is so keen to show you a perfect way of doing perfect bike maintenance perfectly all the time - with silly gloves and shadowcut foam around their 300$ allen keys and ceremonial travel-hammer - I think it's all so fake and that's just not me. I just thought I'd be honest and get stuck in without the fanfare.
  • 34 1
 @henryquinney:
That’s it. I’m calling the cops.
  • 8 2
 @henryquinney: im with you Henry. Washing a mt bike is like trailering your Harley to a destination then riding it.

Suck it up princesses/princes.
  • 3 0
 But he does clean it before putting the linkage back in?
  • 4 0
 @henryquinney: just don't bother, Henry, you're doing good.
  • 1 0
 @henryquinney: Somewhere along the line the mountainbike scene got really OCD about the most inane details. MTB was born in the woods!

It would be lovely to have a quiet-sounding, showroom-looking bike all the time, but it's not a reality for the life of a mountain bike. It's going to be ridden in the elements. It's going to end up ghosting into trees and rocks. And if its lucky, it'll get a service that is half as good as this.

This video is much more relatable than some Dexter homage vid. Cheers Henry.
  • 1 0
 @henryquinney: don’t worry about the haters, people are watching these videos to escape the reality of their own bike service which is probably closer to this than any of the surgically clean dream build videos underlaid with royalty free calming music
  • 1 0
 @henryquinney: Its not a build of a brand new shiny bike out of the box, it’s been used like it should be! As long as you cleaned the parts before you putting them back its all good. Keep the good work!
  • 8 0
 @henryquinney:
Guys, Henry Quinney is a former World Cup mechanic. Like, for a living. I’m sure he’s rebuilt every part of a bike out in nasty weather with high wind. Had to be quick, had to be right.
The only problem I see with this video is the inspiration to hop off the couch and overhaul your bike before mom tells you dinner’s ready.
Next thing you know the snow melts and your once rideable bike is still just a pile of parts!
  • 1 1
 @henryquinney: should just disable comments... folks with their panties in a bunch can't refrain from ignoring and moving on without criticizing...
  • 1 0
 @ericls:
Thank you. Some constructive criticism is always welcomed, but this feels more like my ex gf’s trying to get the last word.
  • 1 1
 It is not about OCD. It is about e.g. pulling down the forks with grime on it scrathing the tubes. Tearing the bike apart hosed down is much more time efficient and less prone to contaminating the exposed internals with grime.
  • 1 0
 @GoranNaVAjt: um he dud say he hosed it down
  • 11 0
 @henryquinney: This was one of the most realistic service videos and it was great to watch. The only thing missing from my routine is the part where you spend hours figuring out how to make every tool in the garage a bearing press, even though I say I don't need one.
  • 2 0
 @GoranNaVAjt: If you really want to be anal about cleaning, hosing down a bike is never enough anyway. Whenever I hose down my bike and let it dry afterwards, the bike is still dirty.
  • 1 0
 @henryquinney: Yes, yes and yes.
  • 1 0
 @opignonlibre: I don't consider myself anal at all on cleaning.

But if you have a look at the video section on pulling down the legs from the crown, with a twisting motion with grime apparent and grinding along. Doesn't make sense.

And it is much cleaner, easier and time efficient to thorougly clean individual parts after dissasembly of bike is clean to start.
  • 1 0
 @liamg-alex: c-clamp and sockets have been my bearing presses and pullers (pushers?).
  • 1 0
 @henryquinney: Kudos for wading into the comment section to relate back; I've seen you do it with me, so big high five.

To reward you further I'll dm my list of everything you did different than I would have in order to contest your WC mechanic credentials and boost my know-it-allness.

PS. I'll watch the video afteward. ;-)
  • 1 0
 @henryquinney: trolling for a mass amount of comment/click bait! Hat tip to you sir!
  • 1 0
 @ericls: you say 'can't refrain from ignoring and moving on without criticizing...'? LOL!
  • 1 0
 @code26: bad wording... meh...
  • 80 0
 Not dropping a tool a single time. Totally unrealistic. Otherwise nice ASMR
  • 10 0
 The small washer / spacer that falls and lands not even in the room anymore. No matter how hard you look it’s Gawn !
  • 1 0
 @dkendy1: Yea it’s the sock gnomes day job.
  • 2 0
 @dkendy1: The small, totally unique, OEM-specific, only available via international online order part that drops and disappears. And then is found after the new washer/plug/screw/bushing/etc. arrives. Then I have a backup for next time!
  • 35 0
 Sit back, relax, and enjoy the sounds of a Land Rover.
  • 9 0
 This is actually very funny. Kudos.
  • 25 1
 This video looks like it was made by someone who doesn't have to make stuff last more than a year.
  • 7 0
 sweet sweet sponsorships
  • 18 1
 Nice work Henry. You've got all the air chair mechanics squirming.
  • 15 0
 Not a torque wrench in site?
  • 2 0
 Torque spec: "feels aight" NM
  • 11 0
 “The dirty fork tubes come out of the triple clamps or it gets the hose again..”
  • 7 0
 Thanks for the guilt trip, I should be down in the basement doing this but watching quinine do it to massage music is much more relaxing.
  • 9 0
 Whatever the polar opposite of ASMR is, this video provided it in spades.
  • 9 0
 why don’t you use a torque wrench for linkage bolts?
  • 26 8
 I'm not sure how I feel about torque wrenches. Levy had aliens, I have this. I have my reasons.
  • 14 0
 @henryquinney: you should love them, especially if you’ve ever flown in a plane and survived.
  • 13 0
 @mariomtblt: does that mean Boeing ran out of torque wrenches?
  • 7 0
 @mitochris: I think they also ran out of bolts
  • 1 0
 @henryquinney: people are never happy, this comment section is crazy. Fuc(k) them all buddy
  • 3 0
 @mitochris: the 737 MAX "flying coffin" fighting to keep that title!
  • 2 1
 The funny thing with torque wrenches, is they rely on the torque spec being correct in the first place Wink And how is that worked out? Tighten the bolt until it cracks? A random guess? In my experience it could be anything.

I've seen almost new bolts crack before the specified torque is reached (the same bolts on a regular basis so not a one-off). I've seen bolts back off due to the torque spec not being high enough (and yes the bolts were threadlocked).
  • 3 0
 @wake-n-rake: determining the load on a bolt can be done in a number of ways. Its called mechanical engineering lol

you've probably worked with cheap bolts or cheap tools in general.
  • 1 0
 @mariomtblt: Ummm no, high end mountain bikes with tools from Wera, Snap On etc..... Yes of course there are ways to figure out these things, but this is the bike industry.
  • 2 0
 @wake-n-rake: oh ok is that the argument? I see, I didn't consider that. I really like REEB bikes and they're engineered excellently so I trust their torque specs. but yeah youre right. I can think of a sus brand here and there
  • 1 0
 @mariomtblt: yes. For example, one brand that I was involved with circa 2019 had '15Nm' clearly stated on their pivot hardware. At a wild guess I'd say we replaced around 30 bolts / 'nuts' due to the thin heads cracking at that torque. We decided to torque them to 10Nm and didn't have any more issues.
  • 1 0
 Big Torque Wrench wants you to believe that hand tight doesn't work in order to sell you expensive wrenches.
  • 1 0
 @wake-n-rake: would it be too much to ask you what brand that was? haha thats crazy!
  • 2 0
 @mariomtblt: no, but you don't have to be a Genius or bright Spark to figure it out Wink (to be fair I don't know of it being an issue on current bikes)
  • 2 0
 @wake-n-rake: I've had an "excessively large" problem with another brand also
  • 1 0
 @henryquinney: Agreed, particularly on the small stuff on bikes where the torque is so low, new parts vs used etc can can cause a huge variation in bolt tension achieved, which is the objective, after all. I reckon they are more or less o.k for cars and then by the time you get up to the big heavy engineering stuff I deal with you need ultrasonic measurement of the change in length or some other direct measurement of the actual bolt tension. But then I do understand that some bike owners will work on their bikes and have absolutely no "feel" for when to stop tightening, so maybe they will reduce those sort of issues.
  • 1 0
 @RobinLaidlaw:
Spot on!
I always use torque wrenches for the first assembly, even though everything gets blue Loctite.
But every time you take something apart, somethings changed.
Throw in the dirt, grime of mountain biking, and you don’t quite know what you’re gonna get!
Then there’s the lack of feedback through a torque wrench. Either clicking at the stop, or the complete breakaway style.
  • 8 0
 I find eBay-servicing my bike is most effective
  • 9 1
 New shifter cable but no housing?!
  • 3 0
 Indeed... and not cutting housing damaged end (!!!), and not even oil in it if still in shape?
  • 2 0
 why?
  • 2 0
 @danstonQ: that bothered me too. But old housing's are mostly fine though
  • 8 1
 Not pleasant to watch, confirmed my views on other people working on my stuff.
  • 7 0
 Henry "chop shop" Quinney, great video!
  • 6 0
 I am here for this sort of content
  • 5 0
 pulling dirty sanctions through the crowns was just cringe.. at least spray the thing off and wipe it down before.
  • 5 3
 Awe , Mike Henry you had to know you were gonna open up a can of hate and trash when you made this video. Wouldn’t have mattered what you did the arm chair mechanics where gonna have a feast on you. Damed if you do and damed if you don’t kind of thing. Bike tear downs / builds are very satisfying to watch regardless of the intricacies of how it’s done. If you have watched guitar builds on YouTube it’s a similar experience for the viewer. Job well done.
  • 4 2
 Mechanic does a terrible job and records whole thing and posts on pinkbike.
Pinkbike "Hey bro WTF?"
Henryquinney: "I have my reasons, and torque wrenches are dumb, and bike mechanics are an urban legend. Dont @ me."
Brilliant stuff
  • 2 0
 This was super calming to watch. All is right in the world when bikes are being worked on in an organized shop! I also appreciate the unique look into how a former WC DH mechanic works in his own bike. Thanks for this!
  • 3 0
 What do you have stuck on the back of your Saint calipers…looks like Velcro?

And what did you paint onto the brake pistons?

Thanks.
  • 2 0
 Velcro stops the finned pads rattling
  • 3 0
 ...and its likely just brake oil on the pistons, debatable if it works or not, your pistons don't really slide in and out of the seals during normal use, they just flex on the seals like a little diaphragm. I think they're better just kept clean and dry.
  • 1 0
 @pbuser2299: Thank you
  • 1 0
 @pbuser2299: does it stop them from... hmmm... cooling? lol
  • 3 0
 I believe that a layer of mud creates a protective shell around my bike during the winter. It gets washed twice a year. That said, I did find the video quite relaxing.
  • 3 2
 There's a lot of wash before you work comments here. Personally if I had to do a nice wash before I did work on my bike the odds that I did any maintenance would drop dramatically. I clean up anything that needs to be cleaned which is really only stuff inside of a seal. I don't want grit inside a sealed surface but anything else I clean is going to be dirty 10 minutes after I start riding any place beyond an industrial clean room. I'll clean and lube my chain when after a dirty ride to minimize wear but usually I only do a bike wash if I'm selling my bike.
  • 4 1
 Just goes to show, you can have nice things and still make a mess of things.
  • 5 1
 That one friend after every ride:
  • 7 3
 step 0 - invest in a hose
  • 4 1
 I cant sit back and relax as it just grinds my gears that you didn't wash the bike before doing this! C'mon Man!
  • 2 0
 Imagine a video like this with the calming music and then as he's taking apart the fork theres a sudden explosion because he forgot to release the airpressure lol
  • 4 0
 Rough crowd. Nice editing and video.
  • 2 0
 Man, people will complain about anything. I wonder how many of the "it's dirty!" crowd have even lubed their chain this month.
  • 4 0
 At least he didn't wank it off like those Muc-Off gimps
  • 1 1
 All yall that say a bike doesn't need to be washed before a tear down like this are the same ones complaining about any and ALL component failures like they're the end-of-the-world. It's pretty obvious why yall have problems most of us don't experience...
  • 1 0
 Holy mother of run on sentences. Go be a professional level mechanic and then tell Henry what to do. Until then, let him do what he wants. Costs you nothing to not comment on things you don’t like.
  • 1 1
 @Keegansamonster: ditto... LOL!
  • 1 0
 @code26: womp womp
  • 5 4
 What not to do video for sure. I couldn't even watch it all. Resetting pistons without a bleed funnel and pushing up dirty fluid. Oh my........................
  • 3 0
 ouch hard to watch, please clean multiple times and as you go...
  • 2 0
 Nice to see you push out the 10W40 and replace with mineral oil, brakes will probably feel pretty good now
  • 1 0
 No shouting, no swearing, no sweating while trying to loosen jammed parts. This is a far cry from any bicycle maintenance I have ever done.
  • 1 0
 Fox Fluid or oil mixed with Fox Fluid for those foam rings? @henryquinney
Also what bearing press is that?
  • 1 0
 ParkTool SBK-1
  • 1 0
 @rapsac71: is it time to replace the hammer and the flat head for theSBK-1. $267.00
  • 4 1
 Thank you Henry!!
  • 2 0
 This has been really relaxing! Thank you!
  • 2 0
 Love the video, Henry.

But what's the shock collar you're wearing?? lol
  • 1 0
 I thought of the scene from "The Running Man". Hank might be in a dystopian future work jail.
  • 1 0
 I enjoyed the video. Makes me want to take a shot at doing my bearing and all that.
  • 1 0
 I hope PB isn't going the way of Wiggle not fitting real shop towel into the budget
  • 1 0
 Whole bunch of dudes complaining of a dirty bike knowing full well that they are sitting there with an unwashed @ss.
  • 1 0
 Great video Henry. Beautifully done. It was very peaceful and meditative.
  • 2 2
 Öhlins forks don't need any grease on the bushing after spraying some degreaser in the lower legs? Hum...
  • 4 2
 No they don't. You can apply some grease to the seals if you want. Any grease added to the bushings would be pushed off by the stanchions as they are inserted and you'd end up with the grease mixed with your lower leg lube.
  • 1 0
 @eshew: OK thanks. But isn't the case for any fork on the market? I do grease my Lyrik's bushing at every service with some Sram butter and a paint brush. Seems important to me but I may be wrong Smile
  • 3 0
 @danstonQ: you really do not need any grease there at all, there's the oil for lubrication.
  • 2 0
 Crunchy
  • 1 0
 I wonder what’s behind the white curtain?
  • 1 0
 I want more grease please
  • 1 0
 I just relapsed on my porn addiction.
  • 2 1
 Good scrub/wash before breakdown, makes sense
  • 1 0
 almost perfect. should include bike cleaning at the start
  • 1 0
 If you live in the snow in Winter you cant always use your hose.
  • 1 0
 Brilliant video entertainment. Well done.
  • 1 0
 What's in the aerosol spray bottle?
  • 1 0
 Loved that, although it makes me feel like a very inadequate bike owner.
  • 1 0
 very relaxing video!
  • 2 1
 Henry knows what's up!
  • 1 0
 Cool video!
  • 1 0
 twas beautiful
  • 1 0
 I really enjoyed this!
  • 2 2
 v10 gang
  • 1 2
 Dude, wash the bike!! 1st mechanic commandment!!
  • 45 48
 There are already gigabytes and gigabytes of amateur mechanics bumbling through routine maintenance on Youtube.
  • 29 0
 Seems like we go through this every time you clowns want to chime in on Henry’s mechanics videos — but you do realize he was a pro mechanic for a couple World Cup Teams, Right?
  • 29 1
 This comment is getting seriously boring now. A pet peeve is exactly that. The point is they are irrational...and thank goodness he made the comment or all the snowflake whining MTB influencers wouldn't have been able to cash in hard on on all their sniveling response videos...
  • 3 5
 one like = one bumble
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