Pinkbike Poll: What Are Your Favorite & Most Hated Workshop Tasks?

Jul 31, 2020 at 10:05
by Dan Roberts  

The new improved chromed-out Sender.
Pinkbike Poll
Favorite & Most Hated Workshop Tasks

Christina Chappetta's recent video prompted me to think about this question, and to also give some much needed love to my bikes.

Start of season, mid season or end of season, our bikes need a bit of care and attention to be working at their best, put a grin on our face and not sound like a bag of spanners on the trail. Some bikes need less looking at than others, but at some point they all need to go into the workshop, or kitchen, and be worked on.

That work can entail all manner of different tasks ranging from as simple a thing as cleaning and lubing the chain to a full on strip down and what a good friend dubbed 'The Dream.'

Personally I'm a big fan of working on my suspension. Taking the units apart for a routine lower leg or air can service, cleaning them out and reassembling with fresh oil and grease always translates to a smile on my face once I hit the trails. It's surprising how little you feel the day to day deterioration in performance until you freshen it all back up.

Or even delving deeper and servicing the dampers and spring systems are a "chore" that I enjoy. Tuning shim stacks or changing travel are also included in those fun chores and also translate to a perceivable change on the trail.

Snowshoe World Cup 2019
photo

One thing I detest, though, is bleeding brakes. No matter how much care I put in, I always end up with fluid somewhere. And with some brakes I feel like I'm stuck in Groundhog Day waiting for the seemingly endless stream of air bubbles to stop.

Champéry is renowned for its steep tracks that demand the most from your brakes and push them to, and often over, their limit. No brake is devoid of problems, but reducing the number you encounter leads to a better riding experience round here. In recent times I've taken to not even cutting the hoses if I can get away with it, thank you RAAW for the external cable routing, and just using some zip ties to keep the cables in check, safe in the knowledge that the factory bleed is still intact.

When the question was posed to the other editors we had a range of answers from hating changing tires, detesting fishing cables through frames and loathing updating your electronic drivetrains firmware to really enjoying the satisfying click on a torque wrench, loving installing a press fit bottom bracket with a big hammer and even just spending time in the workshop.


So then, what are your favourite and most hated tasks to do in the workshop? I've tried to compile a list of a few, but maybe yours is specific to your particular bike, which I'm sure we'll hear about in the comments.


Favorite Workshop Tasks




Most Hated Workshop Tasks



Author Info:
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Member since Apr 6, 2019
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253 Comments
  • 391 0
 Most hated is by far trying to find the source of creaks and other noises.
  • 24 0
 100% agree. I hate a creaky bike with a fiery passion of a thousand suns
  • 10 1
 Creaky bike bugs me to no end. Even when other people's bikes creak. Lol. But, it doesn't bother me as much because I have pretty found most the sources of the creaks and they are not in places you would think.
  • 3 0
 Just put on new cranks, bb, chain, cassette. Still creaks!! Only noise when riding. Soooooooooooo annoying
  • 14 0
 @davet2000: Check the rear derailleur. Shimano clutch has been creak source for me several times. I had grease the clutch once a year to keep it quiet. Also, the pivot points on both Shimano and Sram derailleurs is a source of creaking. I put light grease on them and wipe off. Keeps the derailleur quieter.
  • 10 0
 @davet2000: If it creaks when standing up cranking grease your thru-axle where it touches frame. Seems to quieten my bike down. I always thought it was my bottom bracket playing up. Wearing a full face helmet quietens it down too!
  • 3 0
 @tacklingdummy: please share your deep knowledge of this mistery art!
  • 14 3
 What about adjusting cup and cone bearings in Shimano hubs.
  • 4 0
 Latest one was on my very first build that had a press-fit BB. I even got one of the thread-together BBs to get ahead of it. I spent way too long working on that damn BB and pulling my hair out. It turned out to be a pedal. *facepalm*
  • 8 0
 I never would have serviced my pivots, derailleur or cassette if not for my stealth-creaky absolute black chainring. Bike is running like new now.
  • 3 0
 I hate creaks so much I think I’ve now become an expert creak solver.
  • 3 0
 I’ve spent more time trying to diagnose creaks and clicks on various bikes than building complete bikes by far. I envy the people that can enjoy a ride and live with the unavoidable bike noises of mountain bikes!
  • 8 0
 Oh my god. Just spent two weeks diagnosing a mystery creak.

Started with all the obvious suspects, greasing pedals, through axle, cassette mount and suspension pivots. Finally ran out of things to clean and grease so threw in the towel and installed a new PF30 bottom bracket (because it’s always the POS Press-fit bottom bracket right?!)....and yet the damn thing still creaked with every pedal stroke.

Finally my dumbass thought to check and tighten the plastic preload thingy on my SRAM cranks and the creak went away immediately...I’ve just been telling myself I needed a new bottom bracket soon anyway...
  • 8 0
 @tacklingdummy: I've found incessant taunting often resolves the creaks on friends' bikes.
  • 5 0
 @ryetoast: after weeks chasing a mystery creak somewhere I finally got rid of it by using earplugs.
  • 2 0
 @nigelh: ugh. no and thank you.
  • 1 0
 @davet2000: My previous Yeti SB6 had cable rattle thant drove me bonkers! Couldn't source it for the longest time.
  • 2 0
 Found out that I'm suffering from creakophobia, so I stopped riding Wink
  • 1 0
 On an e bike...
  • 2 1
 @nigelh: bit of a chore if you are cleaning and regreasing everything, but just tightening is a breeze to me. And quite satisfying when you tighten just enough so there's no play, but no friction either, they spin sooo efortless
  • 4 0
 @Flattop-mullet: listening to iron maiden on the uphills does the trick for me. Nothing like dance of death and 200bpm heart rate...
  • 2 1
 How many times can I upvote this comment?!
  • 4 0
 Routing cables- clearly doesn't own a carbon Santa Cruz.
  • 1 0
 That is absolutely spot on!
  • 2 0
 Yep, why wasn't this in the poll?
  • 1 0
 @willdavidson9595: The latest generation of Santa Cruz frames took a step down imo with internal brake line and internal routing without internal tubes for the rear triangle. But it’s worth the trouble for the lower link vpp and improved geometry...
  • 1 0
 Frame pivot bearing swaps top it for me. Up there with bushings.
  • 1 0
 Yeah this. Everything else on the poll is just shop work. Been in shops since 96.
  • 1 0
 Pedals?@davet2000:
  • 6 0
 @tacklingdummy: I freaking hate that. Search for days and days only to find out it was your knees creaking!
  • 1 0
 @davet2000: if you are riding suspension it might be the links! Once the bearing are gone the noise they produce can be outstanding
  • 1 0
 @davet2000: check your dropper post, regrease (or carbon paste) i had a really back creak develop out of nowhere, turned out it was the seatpost.
  • 2 0
 @Notmeatall: Here is a few more I have found. Seats and seat binder bolts can creak when pedaling because dirt constantly gets into them. Clipless pedal mechanisms can creak. Suspension linkage bolts and shock bushings can creak when in contact with the frame because many do not have washers, bushings, or bearings to reduce friction. Got to keep them clean and greased. I would like to see some bike manufacturers find ways to reduce the friction on shock bushings and shock eyelet binder bolts. Enduroforkseals has made some shock eyelet bearing kits that look good because they allow the shock to pivot freely and doesn't make the pivot bolt move, but I have not tried them. If my shock pivot bolts develop a creak, I'm buying them. Lol. Bearings on frame linkages are usually really good and very rare a source of creaking in my experience unless completely shot.
  • 2 0
 @nigelh: I'm with @ismasan. It was one of the first finer and noticeable things I could tune on my bike and I felt it was quite satisfying. For someone just getting into the sport and having a blast on the "lower end" equipment, if feels nice to be able to do something easy and cheap (both tools as well as grease and loose 1/4" ball bearing) yet so important for the durability of your gear. Even completely cleaning them isn't all that hard, isn't it? And you don't regrease "everything". A quick squirt with the grease gun into the outer bearing race to then stick the balls into usually does it, though I can imagine the experts have their ways of having everything covered in a thin film but no excess. Yeah, the beauty of it is that you can "perfect" it, whereas a hub with cartridge bearings just performs as well as it does and there isn't much you can do about it.
  • 1 0
 My megatower has a nasty cracking clicky creak when sideloading the bike. Problem is, I'm too busy fixing other peoples bikes to do anything about it
  • 1 0
 I wonder if your non driveside flipchip is wiggling in its recess?I’ve seen this on a few megas. Tightening the set screw does the trick @Darwin66:
  • 2 0
 @Tomford: Its not that, Ive been having that problem a TON over the past little while, and I sorted it out. Turns out that creaking was actually my cables moving slightly inside the rear triangle, and clicking against a little rough bit when the bike was leant over. weirdest thing, cant believe i diagnosed it.
  • 88 0
 Hated : looking for that tiny spring/screw/thing you dropped onto the dirty dirty floor even after you said to yourself "don't drop this".
  • 4 0
 They go into the workshop worm hole!
  • 3 0
 Ha ha you are so right! I dropped a 2mm Allan key and a tiny bolt & washers the other day - found the small bits after some searching, but not the Allan key. I'll probably find it one day when I'm not looking for it.
  • 1 0
 @rstwosix: Magnetic screw collector with wheels. Run it back and fourth across the floor. Bingo!
  • 4 0
 Agreed the dropped tiny stupid things is the worst. But all the shit they list is easy! how bout some actual detestable tasks, including:
-removing chainring bolts
-installing adams-trail-a-bike shims plus adapter onto seatpost
-removing a bb after the wheels are already out
-e-bikes
-re-installing shimano "clutch" r der after straightening hanger. Wheel must come out fml.
-I could go on but i pissed myself off...
  • 1 0
 Get a shop vac, clean out the inside. Now vacuum the area and inspect the new contents
  • 1 0
 My coworking did that today with a 70s campy freehub pawl spring...ie one you cannot replace easily....after about 15 minutes and looking everywhere it had bounced into his backpack...pfwew...
  • 61 0
 I installed an Angleset in my BB by accident, now my left crank arm hits my frame.
  • 41 0
 Instructions unclear. Chain stuck inside fork lowers.
  • 17 0
 On a serious note: why can’t headsets be threaded in the frame like a BB? Everyone hates on press fit BB but no one cares about the headset. It’s a pain in the ass fitting headsets. If they were threaded in like an external BB it’d be sweet.
  • 19 2
 @Molesdigmyjumps: because nobody could guarantee sufficient alignment of the threads... the hardly get it right on a 73mm bb shell on 4000+ frames! Make no mistake, bike manufacturing has nothing to do with "real" high tech (e.g. F1, aerospace, medical instruments)... it's more or less toy manufacturing for adults.
  • 2 0
 At least it improved the chainline.
  • 1 0
 @Molesdigmyjumps: seriously, ever pressed in a works angle adjusting cup set...they rotate an arbitrary amount every time....are pretty much impossible not to marr the edges of...and how do you locate the center of the frame?
  • 1 0
 @takeiteasyridehard: to locate the center of a frame, I wrap a string around my seatpost and pull it toward the front. I assume the head badges are centered (not always, but usually). Then I mark it with a sharpie.
  • 1 0
 @hardtailparty: Yeah the string method is what I have done also. I just wonder if there is a more precise way. But the few that I have done appeared on axis with the frame, and didnt ever creak for years. I've just always wondered how many millimeters the dropouts may have been out of alignment. Personally I found the possible inaccuracies to be a little concerning. My customers didnt ever question it. To keep from marring the cups I used folded up wedges of cardboard between them and my press. As you probably know they want to cant as you drive them in without some type of corrective wedge.
  • 52 0
 Favorite: Successfully troubleshooting a problem, with the ability to fix it right away
Most Hated: Unsuccessfully troubleshooting a problem, or trying to troubleshoot through vague words and shitty pics
  • 37 1
 installing a saddle has go to be one of the more annoying things with how traditional saddle clamps work. that said the new FOX Transfer has a nice design to make installing a new saddle much easier
  • 3 0
 check out the 9point8 dropper and how saddles attach. You have separate bolts to adjust the tilt and the fore/aft position. It's SO easy to mount daddles.
  • 1 0
 @hardtailparty: To be fair, you should also mention that mounting a saddle is the ONLY good thing about 9:point:8 dropper posts. The remaining attributes of the post - functionality, durability, serviceability, parts availability, and manufacturer support are terrible.
  • 1 0
 @ReXTless: maybe the older models, but mine have been as reliable as my bike yoke revive.
  • 35 0
 the most hated task can't be on the list, because it's always an unexpected surprise, caused by poor design, tolerance, choice of material or coincidence. That one bolt that won't get in because somehow there is a chunk of loctite in the thread, the slightly angled post mount plane, that one rubber seal that would just not slip in place on high speed compression dial, a seat tube that is at the very end of tolerance on a otherwise perfect high end frame, the aluminum bolt that is rounded by looking at it, that one in a thousand tire rim combination you just can't get sealed, a free hub body made of too soft alloy, the list goes on... I have no problems when hard work is rewarded, but when I am victim to a "it works 95% of the time" design or botching from the factory: damn it!
  • 1 0
 This
  • 37 1
 My favorite part is getting my third replacement triangle from Yeti in the mail.
  • 2 0
 Damn. On what bike. Atleast you get a Replacement tho!
  • 37 0
 That's why Yeti bikes always seems so new.
  • 3 0
 Those cracks are just part of the engineered flex.
  • 31 0
 There’s no option for TT bike under most hated
  • 13 2
 God, them and Tri people are always such a pain. "What do you mean you don't stock this part? I'm the only person to ask for one in 2 decades? PSHHH you should have it."
  • 12 2
 No TT option because those don’t count as bikes.
  • 4 0
 I did the internal cable routing on a Canondale tt bike one time, I'll never do it again. That entire build was the worst experience I've had with any bike.
  • 4 0
 FTFY: There’s no option for dealing with TT bike customer under most hated
  • 1 0
 @NorCalNomad: omg you are right what is wrong with TT People they are such a pain, like literally all of them Are so difficult to deal with, do you know what causes the behaviour on this guys?
  • 3 0
 @AgustinFlores: Apparently, it's caused by hours of swimming, running, and riding in an aero tuck.
  • 31 1
 Rebuilding Rockshox reverbs.
  • 4 0
 I looked 3 times and was amazed that it wasn’t an option.
  • 3 1
 True story: We have a guy in our shop who can rebuild Reverbs blindfolded, in about 40 minutes. He can even get the correct PSI within 10 pounds. Freak like skills.
  • 4 1
 @adrock-whistler: telling fake stories is pointless, is it even humanly possible to build a reverb in less then 5 days?
  • 2 0
 I have a reverb in need of a rebuild in a crate somewhere. It’s been there for 2-3 years, ever since I switched to a crank brothers post which can be serviced in the frame in 5 minutes. Oh and it still has less play than the reverb did when it was new (which was about 6 months before it needed to be rebuilt)
  • 3 0
 @vaedwards: why did we all buy these overpriced POS reverbs to begin with? I think I researched the shit out of it and saw all the glowing reviews in the media???
  • 2 0
 @unrooted: it’s because they used it twice before they wrote the glowing review.
  • 1 0
 Yep, thought this would be the first comment on here. Shock damper rebuilds are easier to deal with than these damn things. They’re the ultimate time suck.
  • 28 0
 My favourite is building a fresh bike while crushing beers. My least favourite is rebuilding the bike the next day with a brutal hangover.
  • 3 0
 Fuck this brings back memories. Except a bottle of whiskey also made it into the build process.....
  • 2 1
 I avoid that problem by simply being too young to drink
  • 1 0
 Beers,cannabis and grunge music..could spend hours stoning over a new anodized component..ahh miss the 90s
  • 22 2
 How is there not "Servicing a front derailleur" in the most hated category?
  • 61 3
 Same reason there’s no category for installing bar ends or toe clips.
  • 6 1
 I was also hoping to find that one. I freaking hate front derailleurs so much I became a mountain biker.
  • 5 1
 Cause we're mountain bikers and we live in 2020.
  • 5 0
 @joostd: Who would think that someone who rides a mtb would work on anything but modern mtbs.... Rolleyes
  • 13 0
 I am a FD wizard. You can add cantilever brakes to that, but I worked in a bike shop in 1995-1996.
  • 1 0
 @Highlander406: This deserves 1000 up-votes.
  • 1 0
 @joostd: if you work in a bike shop you find the vast majority of people don't live in 2020. Granted part of that depends on how high end the shop is
  • 3 0
 @Highlander406: Same. I did my time '98-'02. Cantis, FDs, Campy, etc. Also full overhaul of avid mechanical disks and Softride bikes ::haha::

I also always find adjusting loose-ball hubs to be calming and satisfying. I've got a pair of Dura-Ace track hubs on my city singlespeed that run smoother than King hubs.
  • 3 0
 @Highlander406: Me too! V Brake perfect toe-in, very time.
  • 1 0
 triple FD are my lifes passion
  • 1 0
 Not sure what kind of service a front mech requires. You meant just tuning it? I recall I hated them with trigger shifters because it was never right. But I with grip shift for the front mech (and trigger for the rear) there was pretty much no way to get it wrong. Even the front mech grip shift has nine indexes so with only two front rings there is no point worrying about cable tension. Just attach it and twist the grip shift until the chain shifts to the proper ring. If it starts to rattle because you shifted to the other end of the cassette, just twist it another click and you're good.
  • 3 0
 @melanthius: cup and cone bearings are my jam.
  • 2 0
 @Highlander406: The absolute best is wrestling Conti tires onto Trek's Matrix rims. That should adequately date my bike shop experience.
  • 1 0
 @Dopepedaler: I can't tell you how many Matrix rims I replaced with SunRynolite rims... because reasons.
  • 2 0
 @Dopepedaler: @Highlander406: y'all can relive those days as this is a current listing on ebay Razz "NOS Trek MATRIX ISOC 26" MTB Hard Anodized Aero Clincher 36h Rims"
  • 16 1
 Pretty clear that brakes, and the bleeding process, have serious room for improvement.
  • 2 0
 Sure thing. A lever that has some kind of built-in bubble entrapment door with some kind of translucid reservoir that you can check and see if you need to pour some more juice? The only problem is weight, and it's on a very high and off center part of the rig.
  • 1 0
 I actually think it used to be good, it just got worse. I still prefer to remove the reservoir cap when I bleed my brake so I can see what's happening and once air enters the reservoir, it is free. Most modern brakes now seem to have a bleed port on the master. It seems to me that makes for one more place for air to hide. Obviously with air in the reservoir the brake can still feel firm, but on occasions it can enter the system and make it feel soft.
  • 15 0
 Servicing or replacing frame pivot bearings is for the birds.
  • 6 0
 Yes. Pressing pivot bearings in and out of frames is rarely fun, even with a great press and drift set.
  • 1 0
 i hate doing this on my aluminum frame. wouldnt even try it on a carbon frame. the extraction part is what im talking about to. thats the most nerve racking. pressing them back in isnt too bad.
  • 1 0
 if the frame designer has done his job well it´s not bad, but the immediate danger of expensive mistakes makes it not very enjoyable
  • 3 0
 @F22: I recently dismantled a 30 year old Suntour XC Pro hub... made me wonder how good todays bikes would be if manufacturers would have preserved those tight tolerances and bulletproof design approach.
  • 1 0
 @Phlizz: Just sprung to mind. I thought that changing hub bearings is not so bad, until i had to rebuild a e.13 rear hub.. Made me appreciate the simpleness of normal hubs with just the shell, bearings and hub axle! Also YT seem to desing their pivots so that you can't get them out with normal workshop bearing tools.
  • 16 1
 Routing internal cables (without internal tubes) is the absolute worst.
  • 4 0
 I voted for that in the hopes that one person at one company would take not and manage on one frame in their model lineup to get them changed to external. Because there is a tiny chance that that will be my next frame.
  • 1 0
 I hate it so much, but I like the clean looking end result. Especially the dropper, I think having an external dropper cable looks the worst. Probably because it seems like a "new" cable that shouldn't be there. So I'm torn. External but well placed derailler and brake lines, and internal dropper would probably be my preference.
  • 2 0
 This. Internal shift cables with out internal guides make me want to hurt someone.
  • 2 0
 Like I saw a frame which has a bolt on down tube protector that contains the cables, seriously that is a brilliant idea as easy as external cables, as neat as internal. Running the rear brake hose to have to rebleed the thing is a job that just shouldn't be necessary.
  • 2 0
 @EstebanPablo: OMG f*cking droppers... my mk1 process has the prefect dropper routing, external, yhen entering the seat tube in the middle. There's anplace in hell for those who design frames in which you have to to remove the BB just to swap dropper's line
  • 2 0
 the only thing that should be internal is the dropper post...
  • 1 0
 @Tristanssid: Canyon Neuron CF...brilliant idea indeed
  • 1 0
 Ehhh....it's not that bad with the park tool routing kit. It's one of the best tools I've ever bought.
  • 1 0
 Took my new internally routed frame to a good LBS, they did the brake but gave up on the gear cable saying it was impossible, if we cant fo it nobody can, spent ages on it........ Took it home used the hoover an string method........ Job done in 10 minutes......
  • 14 1
 I hate most searching for my tools that I know I have somewhere but can't find them.
  • 2 0
 Especially when it was in your hand a second ago...
  • 9 1
 Worst: fixin stuff that is brand new, and does not work right, even worse when requiring warranty parts shipped in the mail, looking at you E13...and YT.

Best: barrel adjust on trail that cleans up shifting just right, and a liitle lube on the chain suddenly quiets and smooths the works.

Runner ups for worst:

Truing an old wheel which is trashed

Separating parts on old bikes that are seized

Internal cable routing

Stripped fastener or even worse carrier...
  • 10 0
 I actually love changing my tires, just knowing I'm putting on fresh rubber.
  • 4 1
 I hate changing tires, so much so that my new rear tire has been hanging on my stand since March, ill just keep plugging the holes.
  • 4 0
 @unrooted: Ride it 'till it's dead. Unlike a bicycle chain, fork dust wipers, brake pads etc, the old tire doesn't cause collateral damage (unless it blows and you damage your rim or something else, of course). I also keep plugging and siping. But the inside of the side knobs are so round now. Just read an article about new tires here (Schwalbe) and realized "oh wait, that's what they're supposed to look like!" Wink Side knobs don't just wear away but the inside edge just rounds off until the point that they're just useless.
  • 10 0
 My favorite part is starring at my new bike in my workshop with a cold beer.
  • 2 1
 I bring it right up into the living room.
  • 2 0
 I admire it in my bedroom just as I am about to go to sleep
  • 7 0
 Most hated are:
-working on a bike from Canyon
- knowing that you got this stupid small, yet inevitable, part somewhere in your mass of small parts and not being able to find it for an hour or more.
  • 1 1
 why canyon
  • 1 0
 @Kashima: because they are direct-to-consumer. The bane of most bike shop employees.
  • 1 0
 @seraph: No, because they are cheap bikes and you can see why. Bad design and tolerances all over the place..
  • 1 0
 @hirvi: exactly that. My girl owns an older Spectral. It's really annoying.
  • 7 0
 Most loved: figuring out what’s the source of a problem.
Most hated: realizing I don’t have the parts to fix it and shipping will take days.
  • 9 1
 *ahem* Excuse me peasants while I setup my electronic groupset
  • 8 0
 A handful of psychopaths chose internal routing as their favorite?!?!
  • 1 0
 anybody who answered anything at all for the favorites is a psycopath
  • 1 0
 @WheelWranglers: nah I truly enjoy suspension service because you get that oh so buttery supple end result.
  • 1 0
 Tubes in tubes.
  • 1 0
 @Abacall: Nah man, tubeless is the future. Once you're there, there will no longer be such a thing as internal or external...
  • 8 0
 Installing cushcore is up there for me on pain in the ass
  • 5 0
 Removing a tire with cushcore is even worse. It makes installing it seem so fun and easy.
  • 1 0
 @JXN1: I have had to warranty two wheels recently and the cushcore removal was what I dreaded most
  • 4 0
 On my own bike: Replacing a spoke. Especially if you’ve just installed fresh rim tape. Not so much a time suck, just unpleasant to have to undo the work you’ve already done and have to waste more materials.

On a customer bike? Fenders.
  • 4 0
 I just hate when everything doesn't go smoothly, its not like I hate installing cranks or a fork, I hate when I am missing just like oneeeeeeee little spacer or washer that prevents me from riding that day and makes me do the drive of shame to the LBS to buy a tiny crank arm spacer or something little and stupid like that. Its always the tiny shit that drives me crazy with bikes
  • 8 1
 Plugging a bike into a computer......for the hated list also
  • 7 0
 Not sure why, but I hate doing tubeless rim tape.
  • 7 0
 I have my houseboy do all my bike maintenance.
  • 6 0
 Like: working on my bike. Any task.
Dislike: cleaning up the shop*.
*Also like: having a clean shop...
  • 3 0
 Having to clean up aftee is enough to keep me away at times.
  • 4 0
 If the main manufacturers are reading this, please take note of internal cables being THE most hated category in this poll, and start making frames without it! Especially the brake line, as that is also hated, haha....
  • 2 0
 100%
  • 1 0
 THIS
  • 2 0
 Tubes in tubes man. Crazy easy.
  • 3 0
 The only thing I really dislike doing is uninstalling poorly designed parts that were installed by some monkey with an impact wrench and no grease at the factory. The struggle of removing my NX cranks was so much worse than it needed to be. Thanks Sram.
  • 2 0
 So many of these are a mixed bag for me, the task can be a pain but if it's a cathartic process which ultimately adds new parts / a better feel then I'm totally happy to do that.
Equally, if it's building a 'new' bike then that totally depends; if it's a 'brand new' out of the box bike then it's a brilliant hassle free task. However if it's a 'new to me' collection of parts bought both new and second hand, then that can be a real ball-ache (ie dismantling and fixing previous owners changes, ordering more parts to remedy said changes then waiting for the parts to arrive before it can be finished).
  • 2 0
 Let me tell you about the multiple new bikes I’ve fully torn down out of the box, and the wonders I have discovered. That’s from low end Diamondback all the way to SWorks.
  • 6 0
 Filing down clear coat and excess paint on the brake mount was not listed.
  • 4 0
 One of the most satisfying is taking apart your entire bike to clean, rebuild, and service it. When you are done it looks like a new bike.
  • 2 0
 The needed some other answers:

Most hated: Fixing someone else's bike, fixing someone else's FUps, finding a creak, messing with someone else's bike on the trail when we should be riding, etc...

I like working on bikes and I can hang out in my garage all day as long as it's cool
  • 5 0
 Anything with fluids. I hate messes & cleanup. Suspension rebuilds. Brake bleeds. Yuck
  • 2 0
 Worst task this year was getting a (vintage road bike) quill stem unstuck. 40 years of galvanic corrosion is no joke! (ended up notching a sacrificial hex socket to straddle the tee of the stem, clamping the fork stationary, and giving my 1/2" drive impact wrench the best workout it's ever had.
  • 3 0
 Internally routes brake lines for no good reason.
Sure they look cleaner then external.
But what’s it actually worth?
Sometimes just to pop out the other side of the tube 3 inches away?
Come on stop that crap.
  • 3 0
 I love cleaning my brake callipers, lubing the pistons then resetting them. Makes me feel like I achieved something yet it’s ultra low risk.
  • 4 0
 I think installing tubeless tires and installing tubeless tires with Cushcore are very different tasks..
  • 3 0
 You know what's nice about old clincher style rims? Changing tires is a breeze with them, you don't even need to be scared to use a tire lever. Wanna make it even faster? Use Dunlop valves.

I just spend 2 hours just removing factory seated tires from a TLR rims, my fingers (especially the shifter thumb) are probably destroyed for the rest of the weekend, they've used really rough surfaced rim tape that fought all my attempts at unseat the beads on those tires.
I wasn't planing on going TL quite yet but after that fight there was no way I was not going to make that conversion there and then.

Looking forward to not having to unseat these tires for hopefully a few months now.
  • 2 0
 Brake bleeding is actually one of my faves. I've bled my Shimanos so many times that now I know how it's supposed to work. The first probably 4 times, it was a messy PITA! Now it's like reflex.
  • 2 0
 Man, I thought I was the only one that hates bleeding brakes. And this is considering I run Shimanos, which are not hard to bleed in the first place. Love building and working on wheels though. Don't mind suspension either.
  • 4 0
 Boxing bikes up is the worst.
  • 1 2
 boxing up bikes is fun af what u mean
  • 4 0
 Finding and fixing squeaks and noises
  • 2 0
 Favorite task not on the list: using either of my 2 ridiculously over-engineered, yet awesome, Abbey tools (ti hammer and HAG)
  • 3 0
 Since I didn’t see it on here:
Removing stripped or seized bolts. Especially from a carbon frame
  • 4 0
 Where is servicing pivots? Complete pain
  • 4 0
 I love a good POP while seating tubeless tires!
  • 2 0
 Installing DH tires on carbon rims with Cushcore. I think I've given my hands and wrists arthritis from doing these over the past 2-3 years.
  • 2 0
 Worst: mounting tight road tubeless tires, or trueing internal nipple rims.

Favorite: overhauling suspension/custom shim tuning/one off suspension tricks
  • 1 0
 How about complete tear down and overhaul of an old bike. So satisfying to be handed a beat down bike and given the ho ahead to do all the work that should be done to bring it to new again!
  • 1 0
 Overhauling old X-Fusion dropper Posts is a nightmare, why oh why do they use automatic transmission fluid?! Even the tech videos don’t give you correct oil volume so you end up doing them more than once to get it right.
  • 2 0
 I don't really have a hated activity, probably because I'm not a pro bike tech. It doesn't matter what I'm doing, I have all the time in the world.
  • 3 0
 Replacing a spoke the drive side of a rear wheel.
  • 4 0
 Ridewraps
  • 3 0
 Changing out suspension bushings/bearings--most hated
  • 2 0
 My most hated is cockpit I hate taking off grips especially the wolf tooth foam
  • 3 0
 Same, I hate lining everything up with the front wheel and I get obsessive about measurements of brake levers and stuff. Also torquing all the bolts on a stem and greasing a headset just to have it keep creaking
  • 3 0
 Worst job is removing the outer race of a collapsed bearing with a dremel.
  • 4 0
 I dunno, worst job could be sympathizing with the owner of said collapsed outer race lying saying it wasn't their fault/lack of maintenance that put them (you) in this shitty situation.
  • 2 0
 Worst:

Fixing buddies janky pitted cup/cone hubs as his dont roll as nice as another riding buddies onyx hubs.
  • 2 0
 I love building up a bike from scratch. Everything after is a pain in the arse.
  • 3 0
 Getting the bars and forks in-line!!! Constantly gets me...
  • 3 0
 The inevitable weekly funnel bleed on my Shimano brakes.
  • 1 1
 It is frequent but damn it's so much easier than Sram. To the point that I actually enjoy bleeding the brakes on the bike that has XTs just because I know I'm not doing it on the other bike with Codes.
  • 2 0
 @unfknblvbl: I only need to bleed my Codes twice a year, though. So I'm pretty sure I spend more time in the long run bleeding my XTR's. I've also found the SRAM method to give me perfect results every time. Big fan of Bleeding Edge.
  • 3 0
 Re-taping poorly taped tubeless carbon wheels
  • 2 0
 Favorite task is building wheels. I can build a basic wheel in 30-45 minutes. Every wheel I build is a joy.
  • 1 0
 I built a wheel last week. I think it took me three hours in total but for me it was the first time I used the spoke tension app of Park Tool. I already had their tension meter but only used it to get a rough idea of whether things were more or less on par. And before that I just went ploink ploink to get an idea of the spoke tension Wink . I can build a wheel in under two hours but I only build for myself, family and friends. I don't think I'll ever be able to do it in under one hour. Nor do I care too much to be honest. Way too busy chilling Wink .
  • 1 0
 Internally routed rear mech cable and rear brake hose. Almost reduced me to tears on a couple of occasions. External routing only from here on out.
  • 1 0
 Installing a star nut (with a good guide) and using a rocket tool to uninstall headset cups. Satisfying and low stress/ really hard to F up.
  • 1 0
 Cleaning, repacking or any form of service on loose ball/cone hubs. Stupid little balls. Stupid cone wrenches. Die. Die. Die!!!
  • 1 0
 I love installing/changing tires, but do it was less than I would like with cushcore installed
  • 3 0
 Installing tubeless tires has been enjoyable as long as neither the rim nor tire are from WTB
  • 1 0
 My hated part is seeing your build in bits pre build Fav bit is bike built ready to rip lol
  • 3 0
 I love having a pile of parts ready to be build, admittedly I almost enjoy building new bikes as much as riding them
  • 1 1
 Most hated: Getting your suspension setup perfect down to the 0.1 psi with all dials in perfect harmony together, then having to take a dump and start all over
  • 1 0
 installing newer better parts is fun, fixing old stuff to get back where you started, less fun.
  • 2 0
 Was just my arthritic knees creaking
  • 2 0
 Most hated...fixing someone else’s mistakes.
  • 2 1
 How is installing a saddle not on the top of the most hated list! So simple, yet so infuriating...
  • 3 1
 Most hated. Find word "internal" in page, done.
  • 2 0
 Where are the cleaning options?
  • 1 0
 So... file me as the idiot who didn't read the poll before I clicked on what I hate the most as what I enjoy.
  • 2 0
 You forgot...working on that Wal-mart bike passed down generations
  • 1 0
 when you spend 30 minutes bleeding brakes and they still have air in them...
  • 1 0
 My favorite workshop task is no workshop task. I need a private mechanic.
#lifegoals
  • 1 0
 Well I’ve never known anyone who’s done it and to be at the top is abit strange !
  • 1 0
 Replacing old stinky bartape,that comes of in little peaces,is a pain. Nipple stuck inside rim can suck pretty much too
  • 1 0
 hate changing frame bearings and removing stuck/stripped bolts
  • 1 0
 I’m a hack so pretty much any task is frustrating.
  • 2 1
 I love cleaning and waxing my drivetrain.
  • 1 1
 I love to drill stuck chainring bolts because i hate those things, worst threaded fastener ever!
  • 2 0
 Fixing a flat. Period.
  • 1 0
 Building my 3rd Giant Revolt warranty replacement #pieceofshit
  • 2 0
 Installing cushcore
  • 1 0
 Second that!
  • 1 0
 @texta: thirded
  • 1 0
 I don’t see drinking on the list...
  • 1 0
 Trying to setup tubeless with rims and tires that are NOT tubeless ready.
  • 2 0
 Building tricycles lmfao
  • 1 0
 Shimano please develop complete bleeding kit
  • 1 0
 Cutting a siezed XTR seatpost out of a frame is pretty brutal.
  • 1 0
 Removing overly tightened flat pedals and having a mild seizure
  • 1 0
 Scraping the bottom of the barrel.
  • 1 0
 Building a bike, because it means new bike day
  • 1 0
 Does anyone know a way to keep all the cables in internal routing quiet
  • 1 0
 Spray foam.
  • 1 0
 Most loved: Bleed Shimano brakes, most hated: Bleed SRAM brakes
  • 1 0
 I hate greasing and adjusting hubs, and installing saddles.
  • 1 0
 Nothing about tire swaps. Total fail
  • 1 0
 Scratch that. Apparently I need spectacles.
  • 1 0
 Give me Shimano cables 100% of the time. Makes every drivetrain better.
  • 2 2
 What is this workshop, that you speak of?
  • 2 2
 Where on earth is internal cable routing?!
  • 13 1
 in the frame
  • 1 0
 Whoosh?
  • 6 0
 Ah sh*t, there it is!
  • 1 0
 @onemind123: no u
  • 2 1
 Road riders.
  • 1 0
 Creaking CSU’s!
  • 1 0
 Wrapping bars.
  • 1 1
 ordering online
  • 1 2
 Don't understand the "Most Hated task" question
  • 1 2
 Building new wheels from scratch is leading ! What a load of bxllshxt !
  • 2 0
 Building new wheels from scratch is my favorite thing to do.
  • 3 0
 @seraph: It's like knitting, just for mechanics
  • 2 0
 Love it. Therapy.







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