alpinist

+1

mechBgon

My normal workflow for tune-ups is

1) bearing adjustments (wheel hubs, headset, and bottom bracket if it's an adjustable one)

2) wheel truing and replacement of any broken spokes

3) brake adjustments

4) drivetrain/shifting adjustments


There's no getting around the need for some tools. They're an investment. But you can start with the stuff that you actually need. For example, if your hubs aren't out of adjustment and the axles turn smoothly, you can hold off on the hub-bearing tools. If your wheels need truing, but have no broken spokes in the rear wheel, you can hold off on the tools that would be necessary to remove your gear cluster so you could replace spokes.

Where I work, a typical comprehensive tune-up is about two hours of labor, and includes a substantial amount of cleaning so the owner can visually tell "yeah, they worked on it all right." If we need to order parts for it, then it might take a week. So if you want a good tune-up, it's not a quick half-hour, while-you-wait affair. If you do make an appointment to have your bike tuned up, please bring it in when you're supposed to

TXChick

I called my LBS and they won't make an appointment. I'll have to drop my bike off and wait 5-7 days to get it back.

I love the idea of doing it myself! I know that the yucky bike needs a new chain, new brakes and a THOROUGH cleaning. All the gears are all gunked up. I don't know at this point if anything else is wrong. Do I need anything fancy for any of that? I looked at some of the took kits, because I thought that might be an easy and cost-effective way to go, but the kits I saw don't even have some of the tools the tune-up website mentions!

I'm a total newbie at this, so my apologies.

andrelam

I bought the following kit from Performance for $44 last week: https://www.performancebike.com/shop/...tegory_ID=4218

The tools all appear to be very descent quality. I had to replace my bottom bracket. I needed to get a pedal puller and a bottom bracket tool. I should hav bought this a year ago when I spend $12 to get a chain tool at the LBS, the one that came with the bit appears to be no worse. Those tools alone nearly paid for the whole kit. I am sure I'll put some of the other tools to good use sooner wrather than later. I have 7 bikes at my house between my wife, myself, and my daughter. My parents have an other two bike, and I'd be prety much fix something on their bikes if there was something wrong so I'll definitely get enough chances to use it. If I had the labor done at the bike store it would have been at least $30. As is the case with your LBS right now they are busy and I do not care to be without a bike for a few days. It would cost me at least $5 in gas each day taking the car. So 5 days of gasoline would be an additional $25 of out of pocket expenses.

I went to the park tool web site and printed out the instructions. It is very helpful to know absolutely for sure what direction to turn various fastners, because some are reverse thread on a bike.

I did buy a chain cleaner this winter when I found one for around $20 at Dicks Sporting goods. I've used it on a few occasions already. I bought the Park Cleaning kit as some of the other brands' units didn't look nearly as sturdy. If you only have one bike it is a little harder to justify the chain cleaner, but it sure works nicely.

Happy riding,
André

jfz

Maybe you should get a second bike from a thrift shop or yard sale and learn how to repair it. Eventually you will have a second bike and the knowledge how to repair it. Then you need to buy a third bike and repair it. Keep repeating until you fill your shed/garage/basement.

TXChick

Thanks Andre, I'll check out that kit.

tekknoschtev

Andre, that tool kit from Performance looks pretty good. I've been scoping out head tube/bottom bracket/cup&cone wrenches for a bit so I can service my own bearings (the old bikes I have at least need new grease if not replaced bearings). I might just use my birthday money on the tool kit!

This is a good idea. I have a spare bike so if I foobarred something on my commuter, I could grab the road bike and make it to work (and if I broke both I could drive, but where's the fun in that). By having a second bike to wrench around with I don't worry about rushing through repairs or having the bike out of service for a few days if need be. That alone makes me much more comfortable to tackle the repairs/tune-ups, and if you did as suggested with a thrift shop or garage sale bike, you'd be able to learn quite a bit about bike repair/tune-ups while creating backup transportation when you get around to doing it on your main bike.

treebound 

A new chain = a need for a chain tool, which isn't bad to have in your road kit and is often one piece of a decent multi-tool like an Alien II.

A worn out chain might also indicate that it's possibly time for a new cassette or freewheel if the cogs are worn out as well = another tool or two. This one could be done on a while-you-wait basis at a LBS if you go there during a slow time and if you bring the wheel in by itself. Patience and understanding go a long ways sometimes.

Gunked up gears = time for a cleaning and does not necessarily require bicycle specific tools.

Some tuneup guides will call for various tools, but sometimes other tools will do. Let experience be your quide, and if you don't have the experience then practice and trying leads to experience.

If you ride a lot then scheduling your annual tune-up during the shop's slower season will sometimes allow you to get work done while you wait.

I have no idea if any of this helps, but hopefully it does.

TXChick

Believe it or not, I found a replacement chain and chain tool at Wal-Mart. I figured they were both cheap enough to experiment with on the beater bike, and I had very good success!

Before I took the old chain off, I aired up the tires and rode around the block a couple of times to check the gears. I discovered a problem with the front derailleur. I don't know the proper terminology, but it won't shift the chain to the biggest gear.

Anywho, after my test ride, I easily took the chain off. It was pretty nasty. While the bike was chain-free, I took the opportunity to clean it up a bit and get as much dirt and grime off as possible. I got a little confused with chain length at first, but I figured that out pretty quick and the chain went back on in just a few minutes. A second test ride proved I did it right! It still had the same derailleur problem, but it rode a lot quieter and smoother.

Now that I have some confidence, I'm ready to look into getting some tools and fixing up this bike.

tekknoschtev

The derailleur problem likely is with the adjustment. This video focuses on the rear derailleur but the front is very similar - at least it was on all of my bikes.

Edit, oh and congrats on changing the chain out