c/diy-bike-repair

Best $12 I ever spent was on a chain checker tool

I kept replacing my chain every 3 months cuz I thought it was stretching, but turns out it was fine. That little Park Tool CC-3.2 saved me like $40 on my last replacement, anyone else ditch the guesswork for one of these?

1 comments

ray_king•1d ago

Fed up with people using zip ties on bike cables like its permanent

I keep seeing folks at the co-op in Denver cinching down brake and shift cables with those nylon zip ties so tight they cut into the housing. Had a guy bring in a 2 year old hybrid last week where the front derailleur cable was practically embedded under the tape. It only takes a few minutes to wrap with proper electrical tape or use velcro straps, and you won't be replacing cables every season. Anyone else notice this shortcut causing more headaches than it saves?

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nathan289•2d ago

The old Park Tool chain whip I got for $12 at a garage sale back in 2013 still works better than my new one from Amazon

I picked up this beat up chain whip at a garage sale off Burnet Road about 11 years ago. The handle was wrapped in old electrical tape and it had some rust spots but man that thing just grabs every time. Last month I bought a new one off Amazon because I thought it was time for an upgrade. The new one slips on the cogs and I swear the pins are softer or something. I actually went back to the old one after three rides because I stripped a bolt on the new one trying to get it tight enough. Did they just make tools better back then or am I getting cheap knockoffs now? Has anyone else noticed newer bike tools not holding up like the old ones?

2 comments

the_richard•3d ago

Stuck between two chain lubes and picked wrong

I was at REI last Saturday trying to decide between wet lube and dry lube for my commuter bike. Went with the dry stuff since it was summer and less dusty. First ride after and my chain started squeaking by mile 3 on my way to work. I think I should have just stuck with the wet lube and wiped off the extra. Anyone else had a bad switch like this?

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victor_adams95•3d ago

100th flat tire repair finally pushed me over the edge

I fixed my 100th flat tire on my commuter bike last Wednesday and it honestly made me mad. That's like $300 in patches and tubes I've bought over three years riding around Dayton. Has anyone else tracked their repairs and realized they need better tires or am I just unlucky with all this glass on the roads?

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tara_palmer•4d ago

Had a talk with my neighbor about his 30 year old pump and it hit different

My neighbor Bob saw me struggling with a floor pump at the curb and laughed. He said his old Silca pump from 1995 still works fine because he always oils the leather washer. I never even knew pumps needed maintenance like that. Made me wonder how many other bike tools I've been neglecting for years. Anyone else have a tool they never thought to maintain?

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grace419•9d ago

Threw $50 down the drain on a cheap chain tool mistake

I tried to save a few bucks by buying a no-name chain tool off Amazon last month. It snapped on the third link I tried to push out, and I ended up mangling a $35 chain in the process. By the time I bought a proper Park Tool replacement, I was out nearly $85 for what should have been a $40 fix. Anyone else learn this lesson the hard way with budget tools that just don't hold up?

2 comments

julia92•9d ago

Finally got my old 90s mountain bike shifting smooth again after 3 years of bad habits

Honestly I used to just spray WD-40 all over my drivetrain when it got gritty and call it a day. It worked for like a week then everything would get sticky again. Last month I finally watched a video from a shop in Portland about proper chain cleaning and realized I was making it worse by gumming up the jockey wheels. So I picked up a proper degreaser and a chain scrubber tool for like 15 bucks total. After taking the cassette off and actually scrubbing each gear with a brush the difference was night and day. Now I can shift through all 21 speeds without any skipping or noise. Has anyone else had that moment where you figure out you've been doing something basic completely backwards for years?

2 comments

wells.brooke•10d ago

Tried to true a wheel with a zip tie and a sharpie and now it's worse than before

I watched some YouTube video where this guy said you can use a zip tie as a makeshift truing stand. Sounded good in theory. So I zip tied it to my fork, marked the rim with a sharpie, and started turning spokes. After about an hour of guessing which spoke was which, my wheel now wobbles side to side AND up and down. It was just a little out of true before, now I swear it looks like a potato chip. Has anyone actually pulled this off without making it worse or am I just missing something obvious?

2 comments

gavin_allen48•10d ago

Spent 3 hours trying to adjust my rear derailleur before realizing the cable was frayed inside the shifter

Ngl, I kept tweaking the limit screws and barrel adjuster for what felt like forever, but the real problem was hidden where I never thought to look has anyone else had a hidden cable issue wreck your whole afternoon?

2 comments

jake_hall88•11d ago

I was dead wrong about using a torque wrench on bike bolts

For years I just tightened stuff by feel on my old hybrid. Hand tight plus a little extra was my method. Then I snapped a derailleur hanger bolt off inside the frame last spring in Chicago. Had to drill it out, what a pain. Friend at the shop loaned me a Park Tool torque wrench and showed me the specs for my new crankset. I honestly thought it was overkill for a home mechanic like me. But after using it for three months now, I get why people push them. Every bolt feels right and nothing creaks or loosens up after rides. Has anyone else had a bad experience from overtightening something simple?

2 comments

holly_williams•13d ago

Tried patching a tire with a $3 kit and it held for 40 miles

I went on a ride out near the Green River trail last weekend and got a flat about 6 miles from the car. Instead of using my spare tube, I figured I'd finally test that cheap patch kit I've had sitting in my bag for months. It took like 10 minutes to rough up the tube, glue it, and press the patch on. Pumped it back up and rode the rest of the way with no issues, even hit some gravel sections. Has anyone else had a patch hold for way longer than you'd expect?

2 comments

henderson.mila•13d ago

The before and after on my chain after just 3 rainy rides is brutal

I swapped out a rusty chain 2 weeks ago and after 3 wet commutes through puddles in Seattle, the new one is already making a grinding noise in my smallest gear. The old chain took months to corrode like this, but the new one looks terrible fast. Did I just buy a cheap coating or is that normal for fresh chains in wet weather?

2 comments

nina_sullivan61•13d ago

Surprised how much a new chain changed my shifting after 800 miles

I put about 800 miles on my touring bike this summer and my gears started skipping under load. I figured it was the cassette or maybe the derailleur hanger got bent. Finally got around to checking chain wear with a tool and it was way past 0.75. Stuck a new chain on last weekend and the shifting feels brand new again. Did I just save myself a cassette replacement by catching it early, or is that normal wear for that mileage?

2 comments

laura211•15d ago

My neighbor told me my chain was too tight. He was right.

I had been cranking it down for years because I thought a little slack meant slippage. After I loosened it to his spec, my bike stopped making that weird grinding noise and I stopped replacing bearings every 3 months. Anyone else get a basic adjustment totally wrong for way too long?

2 comments