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

[The Ouzo]

45 minutes ago, TyronLab said:

This resonated with me, so very very much. Suddenly deciding to do some "quick" job at 2130, only going to bed at midnight having jaaged more *** aan than doing something productive is something of a hobby of mine.

My wife opening the garage entrance door, middle of the night, dik geslaap still, going "what the **** are you still doing?" and me, still in work clothes, stumbling over my words trying to explain how a tyre pressure check became a headset service and a sealant top-up, up to my elbows in grease and sealant, must be a sight to behold.

I can relate

[dave303e]

On 8/14/2023 at 6:58 AM, MORNE said:

Related to this….using a torque wrench religiously for a few years builds muscle memory. I’m pretty confident now with what 2Nm, 5Nm, 8Nm, 14Nm, 40Nm feels like by hand in the specific places on my bikes. 
 

the one i NEVER do to recommended settings is SRAM’s absolute horse crap crank extraction bolt. If you do those up to the recommended settings and leave it on there for long enough you basically need a leverarm long enough to lift the planet to undo it.
 

So i get mine tight…and then some…and leave it. Never had an issue before and never en up swearing, breaking knuckes etc when the time comes to loosen it. Shimano’s crank mounting method = superior.

Battery powered impact wrench is a great way to remove them, it is a big enough bolt to have at it a bit. Same with the cassette as well, much easier to just loosen it with the impact driver.

On 8/14/2023 at 7:09 AM, mazambaan said:

Aye, some bike (motorbike) builders talk in orangutangs. What you are talking is 10 orangutangs tight. While on the subject I have learnt the hard way never to tighten KTM dirt bikes rear axle to the specified torque as it will break the spacer / adjustment plate. "Tight" is fine and I have not had one come loose.

I used to only use T-bar sockets on my bikes and torque wrench a lot of the time.

I did have a laugh at talking orangutans, when working on the tractor, the smallest socket is a 13, so I do literally everything with an impact wrench, and then it is how many uggadugga's tight...

 

[splat]

On 8/15/2019 at 9:01 AM, fanievb said:

 

any tips for the stem alignment.......

Step 1; loosen stem bolts
Step 2; loosen bolts more because they are not loose enough
Step 3; realize bolts are too loose so tighten them up
Step 4; straddle bike with one eye closed and twist bars, bar don't move easily because bolts are too tight now
Step 5; twist bars only to over-compensate cause bolts are too tight
Step 6; twist bars back the other way only to over-compensate
Step 7; get off bike and go around to front and straddle front wheel
Step 8; bars look square WTF
Step 9; re-straddle bike, nope bars are not square
Step 10; go back to straddle front wheel and over compensate twisting another 3-4 times
Step 11; get back on bike in your 'attack' position to make sure it feels good while wiggling your bars back and forth a bit to make sure they are square
Step 12; bars slip and get mis-aligned whilst doing this
Step 13; &$(# it, get it close and tighten up your stem bolts
Step 14; realize you are hyper aware of bars being .0001 degree off and it's screwing with your head for the first 1/2 mile
Step 15; ride it like this for 6 months and never think about it again

(Copied from Pinkbike)

[Meezo]

20 minutes ago, splat said:

Step 1; loosen stem bolts
Step 2; loosen bolts more because they are not loose enough
Step 3; realize bolts are too loose so tighten them up
Step 4; straddle bike with one eye closed and twist bars, bar don't move easily because bolts are too tight now
Step 5; twist bars only to over-compensate cause bolts are too tight
Step 6; twist bars back the other way only to over-compensate
Step 7; get off bike and go around to front and straddle front wheel
Step 8; bars look square WTF
Step 9; re-straddle bike, nope bars are not square
Step 10; go back to straddle front wheel and over compensate twisting another 3-4 times
Step 11; get back on bike in your 'attack' position to make sure it feels good while wiggling your bars back and forth a bit to make sure they are square
Step 12; bars slip and get mis-aligned whilst doing this
Step 13; &$(# it, get it close and tighten up your stem bolts
Step 14; realize you are hyper aware of bars being .0001 degree off and it's screwing with your head for the first 1/2 mile
Step 15; ride it like this for 6 months and never think about it again

(Copied from Pinkbike)

phuck!!! this is me every time... my 6 months its nearing its end

[MORNE]

4 hours ago, splat said:

Step 1; loosen stem bolts
Step 2; loosen bolts more because they are not loose enough
Step 3; realize bolts are too loose so tighten them up
Step 4; straddle bike with one eye closed and twist bars, bar don't move easily because bolts are too tight now
Step 5; twist bars only to over-compensate cause bolts are too tight
Step 6; twist bars back the other way only to over-compensate
Step 7; get off bike and go around to front and straddle front wheel
Step 8; bars look square WTF
Step 9; re-straddle bike, nope bars are not square
Step 10; go back to straddle front wheel and over compensate twisting another 3-4 times
Step 11; get back on bike in your 'attack' position to make sure it feels good while wiggling your bars back and forth a bit to make sure they are square
Step 12; bars slip and get mis-aligned whilst doing this
Step 13; &$(# it, get it close and tighten up your stem bolts
Step 14; realize you are hyper aware of bars being .0001 degree off and it's screwing with your head for the first 1/2 mile
Step 15; ride it like this for 6 months and never think about it again

(Copied from Pinkbike)

Hahaha. For reals though, i find it easier to alight it with the wheel out, the fork placed in a wide ish tile grout line that keeps it sort of in place, stand in front of bike facing saddle, then align. 
 

but yes, that eliminates all the fun headsets and attack position bits so where’s the fun in that? 

Something ive also done with qr forks is do the above…but put a wooden dowel close to size through the dropouts to give you a nicer reference line to measure against.
edit: Should work on a TA fork if a dowel can pass through both ends. Get like a 900mm one.

Edited August 15, 2023 by MORNE

[droo]

6 hours ago, 100Tours said:

I have learnt that Magura makes the world's finest calipers, and pairs them with the world's most impossible 'carbotecture' levers.

After watching a lot of Youtube the only failsafe way to bleed Magura's is to remove the levers, throw them away, install shimano levers, and suddenly you have the worlds best brakes. 

Magura levers are fine if you don't overtorque the clamp bolts, bleed them every 6 months, and don't crash. Most issues with them are caused by #1 - more than 2 Nm and you'll crack the piston cap.

[droo]

4 hours ago, Meezo said:

phuck!!! this is me every time... my 6 months its nearing its end

Line the back of your bars up with the front of the crown, making sure the stem lines up with the tyre.

Easiest way I've found, and I've done a few...

[100Tours]

4 hours ago, droo said:

Magura levers are fine if you don't overtorque the clamp bolts, bleed them every 6 months, and don't crash. Most issues with them are caused by #1 - more than 2 Nm and you'll crack the piston cap.

Understood, but there's a whole selection of youtube videos that basically say that the reason your Magura levers are still spongy is that you haven't been trying hard enough, and you're only a few bleeds away from having them actually work properly. They are overdue for a redesign.

[Meezo]

10 minutes ago, 100Tours said:

Understood, but there's a whole selection of youtube videos that basically say that the reason your Magura levers are still spongy is that you haven't been trying hard enough, and you're only a few bleeds away from having them actually work properly. They are overdue for a redesign.

Shigura

[BaGearA]

28 minutes ago, 100Tours said:

Understood, but there's a whole selection of youtube videos that basically say that the reason your Magura levers are still spongy is that you haven't been trying hard enough, and you're only a few bleeds away from having them actually work properly. They are overdue for a redesign.

last set i bled i was surprised how good they felt.

 

but that was using methods "not" recommended, flippen horror show to work with.

 

And the bleed screw , 0.8nm ...f*ckoff mannnnn

[droo]

33 minutes ago, 100Tours said:

Understood, but there's a whole selection of youtube videos that basically say that the reason your Magura levers are still spongy is that you haven't been trying hard enough, and you're only a few bleeds away from having them actually work properly. They are overdue for a redesign.

Trust the YouTube mechanic at your peril. 

[michaelbiker]

Love my Maguras and definitely don’t think they are much harder to bleed than Shimano. I don’t like how the Shimano levers feel. Am keen to try out Curas but the Magura’s are pretty close to perfect for me. 

[ChrisF]

26 minutes ago, droo said:

Trust the YouTube mechanic at your peril. 

 

Search for more than 10 minutes and you have a wide selection of wannabee video makers contradicting each other ... 🤦‍♂️

[dasilvarsa]

If You have a Tubeless Puncture that Does Not Seal TAKE OFF your Gloves.

Just Wrecked a nice pair of Gloves with Sealant.

[splat]

18 hours ago, dasilvarsa said:

If You have a Tubeless Puncture that Does Not Seal TAKE OFF your Gloves.

Just Wrecked a nice pair of Gloves with Sealant.

Sure that will wash out ?
They cant be that wrecked...

[AkwA]

it depends on the sealant, some leave permanent stains