I love riding a bike BUT .....

[NotSoBigBen]

I am almost more taken with the 'tinkering' and trying out different things, anyone else?

 

Besides the 'normal' 26"/29" HT/FS 3*9 I have tried SS rigid 29"/26" 1*9/27.5" on a 26"FS/road Fixie now in SS mode/used a tapered fork on a non tapered frame. Have all types of tjoopless systems in use from ghetto to the rubber Stans/Joes as well as the 'plastic' formed strips (Bontrager and them Green BBT ones)

 

Have 'rescued' and returned to day to day use 3 cracked/broken carbon frames, occasionally managed to put together RD's from 2 or 3 wrecked ones, repaired a 'broken' XT RD after Epic amongst others ....

 

I am in the fortunate position that my SiL owns a bike shop and I have an extremely good relationship with Grumpy from CycleHub ......... hence the amount of 'stuff' I have accumulated and have access to

 

Anyone else enjoy the more technical side of cycling as much as if not more than riding?

[Vinnydabutcher]

Im with ya big guy - I was very happy do my first brake line swap and bleed in my garage - and it worked.

 

I love tinkering and working on my own bike - I just want to do a fork course still.

 

When I have plenty on my mind - the bike comes apart - clean - lube - adjust, and then I feel better.

 

It really rubs me the wrong way when something does quite work the way it should.

[Mojoman]

I am almost more taken with the 'tinkering' and trying out different things, anyone else?

 

Besides the 'normal' 26"/29" HT/FS 3*9 I have tried SS rigid 29"/26" 1*9/27.5" on a 26"FS/road Fixie now in SS mode/used a tapered fork on a non tapered frame. Have all types of tjoopless systems in use from ghetto to the rubber Stans/Joes as well as the 'plastic' formed strips (Bontrager and them Green BBT ones)

 

Have 'rescued' and returned to day to day use 3 cracked/broken carbon frames, occasionally managed to put together RD's from 2 or 3 wrecked ones, repaired a 'broken' XT RD after Epic amongst others ....

 

I am in the fortunate position that my SiL owns a bike shop and I have an extremely good relationship with Grumpy from CycleHub ......... hence the amount of 'stuff' I have accumulated and have access to

 

Anyone else enjoy the more technical side of cycling as much as if not more than riding?

I like the technical side, be it with motorbikes, cars/4x4's or bicycles. But when your local mechanics are useless (prehaps they could service a wheelbarrow!) and your nearest town is 35km you learn how to do things yourself, save money, save time and have peace of mind it was done right!

[divernick]

The mechy side of cycling is probably what keeps me most interested in it.

 

...hence my initiative www.buildabikesa.com.

 

It keeps me wrenching and always ends up in the resurrection of a bicycle that otherwise would be rusting under a tarp somewhere.

Bikes have souls man...

[SwissVan]

Used to when i still owned a double garage with enough room for a proper bike stand, workbench and light to work in..

 

Life in this damn alpine cave is hard, now i wash my bike in the shower and work on the balcony when its not raining or to hot...

[amoryns]

you can build me a SS niner bike

[DR ◣◢]

I have rebuilt many suspension forks over the year.

 

Did a lot of custom spring stacks and rebound systems on the RST forks in the 90s. Did the same on my downhill bike's UD150's

 

Built a few chainguide systems and chain tensioners in my trials days.

 

Built a custom DH frame out of a Giant ATX900 frame when Giant didn't honor the warranty claim. Designed the new shock mounts and travel upgrade when I was only 17.

 

Good old days.

[patches]

How do you feel about washing bikes Ben?

[Yogi]

Forgive the first post, but...

 

This is exactly my point. I love the culture of bikes and bits and bobs that constitute it. I don't ride nearly enough, but my diddles down to the shops on my road bike and my current recycle bin SS build make me happier than any interval session ever would.

 

But that's just me.

[Honkdonk]

Yip. Guilty

 

In fact just last night as the Mrs was out on a girls night and the sprog was in dream land. I sank a bottle of nice Pinotage, pulled the bike off the rack and polished and oiled and inspected and pumped and caressed and tweaked after I had finished going through the latest Bicycling mag

 

Call it indulgence.

[NotSoBigBen]

How do you feel about washing bikes Ben?

 

This is a problem when one doesn't ride just one bike ....

[NotSoBigBen]

you can build me a SS niner bike

 

Provide the 'big' bits and I do it with pleasure - anything for you

[patches]

This is a problem when one doesn't ride just one bike ....

 

Tell me about it...

 

And if you're stupid like I am, you'll procrastinate and end up having to wash a few of them at once

 

here they are on the "wash line"

Edited July 27, 2012 by patches

[NotSoBigBen]

I do patch

 

My Epic gets washed and given some TLC by John at Cyclehub every so often .....

[Dirtracker]

Im with ya big guy - I was very happy do my first brake line swap and bleed in my garage - and it worked.

 

I love tinkering and working on my own bike - I just want to do a fork course still.

 

When I have plenty on my mind - the bike comes apart - clean - lube - adjust, and then I feel better.

 

It really rubs me the wrong way when something does quite work the way it should.

No wonder it takes you so long to get the class going with you "tinkering" with the spinning bike!!

[scotty]

Prefer to ride my bikes than work on them, but do it on odd occasion...if i have to...at a push.

 

Does it make me lazy, nope. I do all my own gardening and have 2 koi ponds to look after which keeps me buy on weekends. After a hard days work standing round a braai with friends and family i can show the results of my work,most are non cyclist's so it will seem pretty odd asking them to look at my bikes while chatting to them

 

I have 2 LBS's who share the maintenance, the cost of a minor service is the same as what most people pay their gardener anyhow.