BFisher

The recent freewheel thread got me thinking. Some stuff I don't mind doing, others may not care to. Some things I don't like to do, others may enjoy.

Do you have a favorite wrenching task? A least favorite? I'll start.

I really like wrapping handlebars. Cloth tape, Cello, cork, ribbon...I like doing them all...



I dislike building wheels. I've done three, and they came out fine. But I found that I just don't enjoy doing it. My first one...



Apologies if this topic is redundant. I didn't see it in my searches.

Ex Pres 

I haven't found any tasks I dislike, but I've run across several needs where I just don't have the right tool. (chase, face a BB, etc)

BUT, I do dislike having to re-work something I already thought I'd taken care of. Another spoke breaks on the same wheel, that sort of thing.

52telecaster

Love building wheels, hate dealing with headsets.

gugie 

Love: building wheels
Hate: changing a flat when on a group ride (guess why!)

scarlson 

Haw, I am the opposite. I love wheelbuilding. I do it while I'm watching tv, it's like knitting (mindless counting and over/under/through) but with metal and at the end you don't get a scarf, you get a wheel, which is significantly more valuable especially if it has a dynamo in the middle!

Hate wrapping bars. I can always see the asymmetry and find fault in myself after I'm done.

But worst of all is bottom brackets. There is always some problem. Some stuck fixed cup that damages even my vise jaws before I resort to heating it red hot and destroying the paint, or bad threads that mysteriously are still bad even after I've chased them with my tap set or I have no idea which way it turns (French vs Swiss ) or weird 26tpi British Standard Cycle/Raleigh thing that is made of metal harder than my taps and only Phil Wood makes a non-cottered cartridge for. Or someone put in a threadless bottom bracket even though the shell is threaded ?!!

J.Higgins 

Cleaning and polishing. I have OCD, so I spend way more time at it than is necessary. Sometimes I'll remove all the spokes, hand-polish them, re-lace the wheel, true and tension it, only to decide I don't like it after all. Don't get me started on how many times I measure spoke tension, record it, graph it, etc.

sdn40

Changing tires. Hate it. Dumb. Stupid.
Give me some cleaner wax, degreaser, magic eraser, microfibers, and a bare frame, and I'm a happy guy for an hour

unterhausen

I just overhauled the headset on a bike I ride a lot. First time since the early '80s. Grease was still good, shoulda left it. I had the nut off because I was putting a hanger on, so I felt compelled to do the overhaul

BFisher

Too much "friendly" advice?

thinktubes 

Hate:
Installing square-taper cranks. Had one loosen up on me once, ruining it.
Cutting cables. Cutting wheel works, but melts the liner

Love:
Lubing the chain. Everything is smooth and quiet afterwards

Spaghetti Legs 

I enjoy building wheels - only done it a couple of times so far though. It appeals to my sense of making order out of chaos.

I hate installing saddles. I hate adjusting linear pull brakes, but that might be because I’ve only worked on the cheapos on my wife’s city bike.

bargainguy

Love: Wrapping bar tape.

Hate: Working on cottered cranks.

lasauge 

I like nearly all aspects of wrenching on bikes, the only things I don't enjoy are the simple tasks that sometimes become frustratingly fiddly: aligning disc brake calipers, running internal cable/housing, getting the end of the brake cable to stay in place in the anchor when setting up traditional brake levers, adjusting post style brake pad alignment, etc.

gugie 

Salamandrine 

I still enjoy building wheels. That's probably about it really. For some reason I used to enjoy patching sew ups, way back when. Not sure I would anymore, so please don't send me your flatted tubulars...

The rest I just endure. I've spent too much time wrenching.

texaspandj

Used to be I disliked wrapping bars.
Just couldn't ever get it even enough for my eyes. OK I got one right, Once.
But since I now use inner tubes not so bad.

iab

Love - riding, not wrenching
Hate - wrenching, not riding

Fahrenheit531 

Full overhaul of a new acquisition? Love it.
Routine maintenance? Grumble.

ExPatTyke

Love: Headset fitting - very satisfying when the cups go in straight first try.

Hate: Trueing wheels. It's an art that I just don't have.
And removing cotter pins - the bike goes straight to the LBS.

DHPflaumer

I like 99% of it- brakes don't bother me, wheels are fun, even swapping tires and adding/removing fenders are fine by me. I like doing weird projects, too. Lug lining, polishing/brushing selective bits, etc.

BUT

I hate cleaning my bike. HATE. IT.

non-fixie 

+1.

I did find a simple solution, though.

BFisher

Interesting takes, all, and thanks for sharing. One person's peeve is another's pleasure.

And count me as another who dislikes working on cottered cranks, although I think they are often better looking than most aluminum square taper cranks.

ryansu

Love the tear down, perhaps because there is so much promise in getting it all cleaned up and polished and shiny and lubed and ready to be useful and pretty again.

Current hate, setting up vintage canti brakes. Just when I though I had it sorted %$#(*&!!

JaccoW

How do you even... ?
This would fit over at r/Justridingalong.

I found I really like wheelbuilding and oiling/greasing/loctiting parts.
Less enthusiastic about cleaning bikes and I always put it off too long. Even though I know I should do it before rebuilding a bike.

canklecat

Most: Riding.

But for actual maintenance... maybe wheel adjustments. It's satisfying to watch a rim return to true. I just re-dished a wheel this past week and it was easier than I'd expected. I'd avoided this stuff for years, but might actually try building a wheel from scratch, although I'll probably start by borrowing time in a friend's shop since he already has the tools.

Least: Cleaning chain, cogs and chainrings. That's why I switched to waxing my road bike chains.