Stuff you learn(t) the hard way by being your own mechanic

[Darko]

Bought new pedals over the weekend and tasked myself with taking the old ones off and putting the new ones on. 

 

Handy trick, if things get slippery, or you don't have enough purchase on your allen / hex key to turn, you can use the Thule tow bar rack spanner that tightens the rack onto the tow bar, to loosen or tighten the pedal. 

 

Saved me some time and blisters.

[Simon Kolin]

Also, in forks one of the biggest causes of wear is water ingress. The emulsion of oil and water causes far more friction between the stanchions and bushings, which means that you can wear both out without any abrasive contaminants, though usually the water brings other muck in with it.

Sorry, but that sounds like utter nonsense. Do you have any articles that show this to be true?

[MORNE]

Sorry, but that sounds like utter nonsense. Do you have any articles that show this to be true?

Just want to make sure....you do realise these guys do this for a living right? And are considered to be some of the best around? Just making sure. Nothing funny

Edited September 26, 2019 by morneS555

[Simon Kolin]

Just want to make sure....you do realise these guys do this for a living right? And are considered to be some of the best around? Just making sure. Nothing funny

 

I do indeed. Nothing wrong with a questioning of opinion that seems to be based on flawed ideas/science/fundaments/etc..

 

I'm happy to learn and change my mind if I'm shown compelling evidence for the claims made.

[porqui]

Sorry, but that sounds like utter nonsense. Do you have any articles that show this to be true?

 

Some would say that Droo is the article.

 

And some would say " Leer sal jy leer"

[MudLark]

Sand and dust is a really good abrasive... it doesn't matter what holds it up against the metal surface, if there's contact and movement there's wear. It may be smaller than you can see with the naked eye but its happening all the time as long as there's contact and movement.

[GrahamS2]

The basic kit is just wipers, which will set you back R 325 a pair here. The full kit with the internal seals is about R 800. There is an intermediate kit, but it was only supplied with new forks from about 2014 to 2016.

 

Thanks for checking though.

The kits I got have foam rings, wipers, and o-rings.

Like so.

 

[Dexter-morgan]

I have come across the opposite of being a bad home Bike mechanic, I recently bought a per-owned bike from a bike shop(not going to mention the shop) and with the first ride the front derailer and gears were very sticky and clunky(being Ultegra R8050, I was expecting better), then I decided to replace the cable and then saw this at the bottom where the internal cables comes out of the frame, not even to mention the limit screws.

[Steven Knoetze (sk27)]

What I have learnt:

 

Some people who call themselves "home mechanics" should near go near any sort of tool.

If you don't have any clue you can do a lot more damage than you think. A simple Youtube video does not make you an expert........

[RocknRolla]

Don't wash dirty bikes in a white shirt before work.

[Rudi Pollard]

I have come across the opposite of being a bad home Bike mechanic, I recently bought a per-owned bike from a bike shop(not going to mention the shop) and with the first ride the front derailer and gears were very sticky and clunky(being Ultegra R8050, I was expecting better), then I decided to replace the cable and then saw this at the bottom where the internal cables comes out of the frame, not even to mention the limit screws.

Thats some lazy ass work right there...

[Simon Kolin]

Sand and dust is a really good abrasive... it doesn't matter what holds it up against the metal surface, if there's contact and movement there's wear. It may be smaller than you can see with the naked eye but its happening all the time as long as there's contact and movement.

It actually makes a huge difference what medium the abrasive material is held/suspended in and just as importantly, the pressure that those abrasives are under.

 

Dirt particles, in foam rings that are well lubricated, have little to almost no force put on them that would cause them to push on the stanchions and cause wear to the extent that certain damage is being blamed. Sure, there is some contact and some microscopic wear, but nothing that would ever be noticeable.

Edited September 27, 2019 by Simon Kolin

[Simon Kolin]

I have come across the opposite of being a bad home Bike mechanic, I recently bought a per-owned bike from a bike shop(not going to mention the shop) and with the first ride the front derailer and gears were very sticky and clunky(being Ultegra R8050, I was expecting better), then I decided to replace the cable and then saw this at the bottom where the internal cables comes out of the frame, not even to mention the limit screws.

That's amazing. LOL!

[supertorro]

I learned 2 lessons recently:

- don't hit your finger with the 4lb hammer. It tickles a bit

- buy good tools. The cheap stuff breaks too easily

[droo]

I do indeed. Nothing wrong with a questioning of opinion that seems to be based on flawed ideas/science/fundaments/etc..

 

I'm happy to learn and change my mind if I'm shown compelling evidence for the claims made.

 

I'll dig up something from the archives when I have time, but it definitely came from a reliable source.

[Simon Kolin]

I'll dig up something from the archives when I have time, but it definitely came from a reliable source.

Cool. Look forward to it. I did a search last night and found a paper that was beyond my comprehension. I couldn't work out if the water was causing more wear or less wear or both (depending on the pressure the water was put under).