What are the biggest wastes of time in bike maintenance?
#26
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elapsed time, for sure, but total time maybe not extremely, doing right important...or use tape
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Life is too short not to ride the best bike you have, as much as you can
(looking for Torpado Super light frame/fork or for Raleigh International frame fork 58cm)
Life is too short not to ride the best bike you have, as much as you can
(looking for Torpado Super light frame/fork or for Raleigh International frame fork 58cm)
#27
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or you have latex tubes
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Life is too short not to ride the best bike you have, as much as you can
(looking for Torpado Super light frame/fork or for Raleigh International frame fork 58cm)
Life is too short not to ride the best bike you have, as much as you can
(looking for Torpado Super light frame/fork or for Raleigh International frame fork 58cm)
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biggest waste of time is reading about how to do maintenance on technology I don't use. but knowledge is good and who know what technology I will use in the future or which friend may need some help
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Life is too short not to ride the best bike you have, as much as you can
(looking for Torpado Super light frame/fork or for Raleigh International frame fork 58cm)
Life is too short not to ride the best bike you have, as much as you can
(looking for Torpado Super light frame/fork or for Raleigh International frame fork 58cm)
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#29
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Washing my hands after having to deal with just about any chain that isn’t mine. Second worse is washing a bike after some clown used homebrew chain lube on every thing.
Even the shifters!
I’d elevate it to first but I have to wash my hands far more often. It usually takes a week for me to get the gunk out of the cracks in my skin after a day at the co-op. Just in time for another shift.
Cleaning tip on a bike this bad: use Armorall Extreme Foaming Wheel Cleaner on it. Nothing else cut through the oily mess.
Even the shifters!
I’d elevate it to first but I have to wash my hands far more often. It usually takes a week for me to get the gunk out of the cracks in my skin after a day at the co-op. Just in time for another shift.
Cleaning tip on a bike this bad: use Armorall Extreme Foaming Wheel Cleaner on it. Nothing else cut through the oily mess.
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Peace of mind.
I've had my bikes come back from two local big named bike shops with all sorts of things loose. One shop somehow forgot to tighten the stem, headset and handlebars - that could have been bad. Another didn't tighten my seatpost. That was uncomfortable. And I'm not the best mechanic, so I'm always checking my own work.
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Honestly, almost all of it. On my own personal bikes, I do almost zero maintenance. All the bearings on all my bikes (10 of my own and 4 of my wife’s) are cartridge type and need no work whatsoever. I use solvent wax chain lubricant after stripping the factory lube and don’t have to clean my chain. I use thread locking compound for rack bolts and make sure other bolts are tight when installed so I don’t have to go checking them all the time. About the only time I take a bike apart is when I swap frames, which I seem to do with frightening regularity. And I allow my bikes to get absolutely filthy before I even consider washing them.
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Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
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#32
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Washing / waxing / tuning my bike buddy's bike for his birthday.
Washing / waxing / tuning my other bike buddy's bike for his first post surgery ride.
But hey, it makes them smile to see it all clean and ready to go.
Picture is prior to his first ride after surgery, I just had to goof with it.
The fresh bar tape is under the pink ribbon.. Made us all smile.
Goofing with my buddy after servicing his bike.
I guess it wasn't a waste after all!
Barry
Washing / waxing / tuning my other bike buddy's bike for his first post surgery ride.
But hey, it makes them smile to see it all clean and ready to go.
Picture is prior to his first ride after surgery, I just had to goof with it.
The fresh bar tape is under the pink ribbon.. Made us all smile.
Goofing with my buddy after servicing his bike.
I guess it wasn't a waste after all!
Barry
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#35
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Nonsense. Spending 3 hours cleaning my bikes is a much better way to spend my time and money than doing the things my wife thinks I should be doing.
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Or just not opened a can of oil and poured it over the bike.
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Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
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Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
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Which often get in the way or get ripped or get filled with sweat or just plain get dirty or they aren’t available at an impoverished non-profit.
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#38
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Typical bike tire systems (tubular, tubeless, butyl tubes, latex tubes, sealant, etc.) do not hold air pressure indefinitely. I have 3 bikes that I ride regularly, and sometimes add a 4th to the mix, plus the bike that lives on my trainer. It's pretty common that whatever bike I'm riding that day hasn't been ridden in a week or more. Tire pressures pretty much always need to get topped off before every ride.
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- intended to prevent rust formation before installation
- wears away in the first several miles of use
Or you use latex tubes, where 10 psi loss overnight is common.
#40
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I've gotten to the point where I only need things done that require specialized tools, like headset and cartridge bottom bracket installations.
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You stated that washing your hands was the biggest waste of time. Buy yourself a box of 100 gloves for $5 and eliminate the problem. If a glove rips, gets too dirty, or fills with sweat, replace it with another 5 cent glove.
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Washing my hands after having to deal with just about any chain that isn’t mine. Second worse is washing a bike after some clown used homebrew chain lube on every thing.
Even the shifters!
I’d elevate it to first but I have to wash my hands far more often. It usually takes a week for me to get the gunk out of the cracks in my skin after a day at the co-op. Just in time for another shift.
Cleaning tip on a bike this bad: use Armorall Extreme Foaming Wheel Cleaner on it. Nothing else cut through the oily mess.
Even the shifters!
I’d elevate it to first but I have to wash my hands far more often. It usually takes a week for me to get the gunk out of the cracks in my skin after a day at the co-op. Just in time for another shift.
Cleaning tip on a bike this bad: use Armorall Extreme Foaming Wheel Cleaner on it. Nothing else cut through the oily mess.
FWIW, I use homebrew and none of my bikes are ever this filthy. This guy obviously doesn't believe in wiping down his chain after lubing it.
No, he should have just wiped down his chain after lubing.
Last edited by Lombard; 04-05-23 at 10:39 AM.
#45
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I recently had tasks that required a bearing press (PF bottom bracket and freehub bearing replacement), so I bought the tool. I also needed to align a bent derailleur hanger, so I bought that tool, too. I checked the hangers on all my bikes, and every one needed at least a little tweak. I love how smooth and quick shifting is when everything is aligned correctly. I enjoy having an excuse to buy new tools.
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Washing my hands after having to deal with just about any chain that isn’t mine. Second worse is washing a bike after some clown used homebrew chain lube on every thing.
Even the shifters!
I’d elevate it to first but I have to wash my hands far more often. It usually takes a week for me to get the gunk out of the cracks in my skin after a day at the co-op. Just in time for another shift.
Cleaning tip on a bike this bad: use Armorall Extreme Foaming Wheel Cleaner on it. Nothing else cut through the oily mess.
Even the shifters!
I’d elevate it to first but I have to wash my hands far more often. It usually takes a week for me to get the gunk out of the cracks in my skin after a day at the co-op. Just in time for another shift.
Cleaning tip on a bike this bad: use Armorall Extreme Foaming Wheel Cleaner on it. Nothing else cut through the oily mess.
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#48
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I recently had tasks that required a bearing press (PF bottom bracket and freehub bearing replacement), so I bought the tool. I also needed to align a bent derailleur hanger, so I bought that tool, too. I checked the hangers on all my bikes, and every one needed at least a little tweak. I love how smooth and quick shifting is when everything is aligned correctly. I enjoy having an excuse to buy new tools.
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Last edited by genejockey; 04-05-23 at 11:00 AM.
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#49
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Good effing grief! If I were a bike shop owner and someone brought this in, I would refuse to work on it. This is akin to eating a sleeve of Oreos before a visit to the dentist.
FWIW, I use homebrew and none of my bikes are ever this filthy. This guy obviously doesn't believe in wiping down his chain after lubing it.
No, he should have just wiped down his chain after lubing.
FWIW, I use homebrew and none of my bikes are ever this filthy. This guy obviously doesn't believe in wiping down his chain after lubing it.
No, he should have just wiped down his chain after lubing.
You find this in vintage watches a lot - some folks think that what this old watch really needs is to be drowned in WD40. I've taken apart watches with pools of oil under all the bridges and even on the back of the dial. Yuck!
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#50
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Washing my hands after having to deal with just about any chain that isn’t mine. Second worse is washing a bike after some clown used homebrew chain lube on every thing.
Even the shifters!
Cleaning tip on a bike this bad: use Armorall Extreme Foaming Wheel Cleaner on it. Nothing else cut through the oily mess.
Even the shifters!
Cleaning tip on a bike this bad: use Armorall Extreme Foaming Wheel Cleaner on it. Nothing else cut through the oily mess.
Some people just see "Chain" on the label, and "a chain is a chain" i guess?