Weightweenies get no love from mechanics?

Questions about bike hire abroad and everything light bike related. No off-topic chat please

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mdeth1313
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by mdeth1313

boots2000 wrote:I think that if you mess about with weight weenie parts you should learn how everything works and do your own maintenance and repair.
Many WW parts need to be tinkered with to work optimally and require more TLC to stay in adjustment than say a straight Shimano group.



I'm with you on this one. As I went over to the "dark side" (WW), I started doing my own work. My bike hasn't been into a shop in the last 6 years. Come to think of it, neither have the kids' bikes, I just do it all myself. Having all my own tools paid off even more when I had to fit a new wheel on my lawn tractor- I had to cut a nylon bushing down to make it fit and I used my park saw guide- worked perfectly.

This WW thing finally saved me some money! :beerchug:
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Rick
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by Rick

Without wishing to offend any of the truly good mechanics or LBS's , the simple sad fact is that most LBS's and their mechanics are just not very good. They are adequate for commercially popular bikes...that's it. If you are very picky, and into exotic equipment you have to do it yourself. that's just the way it is. The purchase of the correct tools will always pay for itself virtually immediately.

This even seems to apply to arts like wheelbuilding. I have had a few whells built by "experts" that always broke spokes quickly and/or went out of true very easily. When I build them myself they stay virtually perfect for years. But I don't feel like any sort of wheel artist. I just go slowly and carefully. Double check everything as you go.

by Weenie


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shoopdawoop
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by shoopdawoop

I've never heard of this LBS chain store, seems like it varies alot depending on the area :lol:

comparing local bike shops in general is like comparing bikes in general; they're all a little different, good ways and bad, and you likely get out of them what you're willing to put in.

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FIJIGabe
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by FIJIGabe

While you are right that shops are different, if your shop sells a brand, they probably require the shop to send someone to their "school" to learn to work on their bikes. My old local mechanic would go to the Trek school once every couple of years. Locally, they send their mechanics to Specialized's school (one just went and came back with all sorts of Spesh swag). That being said, what's pushed there are the bikes, and how their bikes and components are the best, etc. There's little in the way of training for using special equipment that we look for when we purchase things. Trek school won't teach BB30 tech, much like Spesh school won't teach BB90 tech (not that there's much of a difference in press-fit bearings, but you know what I mean). Unfortunately, as much as I love to hang out at the shop (especially if there's good coffee), IMO, the best way to truly know what is going on, and get the best equipment for your bike, is to do the work yourself.

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kbbpll
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by kbbpll

The impression I get from a "good" shop here is that they fight over the chance to work on something high-quality or exotic.

mrfish
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by mrfish

I found that if you want a job done properly then you generally need to do it yourself.

That said there are a few exceptions and disappointments:
- Condor workshop - very good - could not fault the build of my wife's bike. Probably better than I could have done.
- Mid range bike shop - Wrongly adjusted FD, bad bar taping...
- Another leading London bikeshop - Did not adequately tighten the brake pads on my tandem more than finger tight. At some point this would have caused a crash. Not good.
- Swiss bike shops - Pretty good, but for the price you can buy all the tools and the parts online to do the job...

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Kayrehn
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by Kayrehn

Ironically, the shop that advised me to stick to complete groupset sells a hell lot of high end stuff like Q-rings and Osymetric, ciamillo zero G/gravitas brakes and Tao Berner derailleur cages, Tune parts...

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carbonLORD
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by carbonLORD

Used to be these kind of bikes were far and few between, and the mechanics who had time to work on them even fewer. You'd set up an appointment and miss a week of riding to have a wobbly hub looked at.

Used to be no internet either. Go buy that Big Blue Book for $50 and hit up a Borders if you want to learn more...

Now we have almost every manufacturer with a dedicated YouTube tech page, and more. Almost anyone can learn how to fix almost anything bike related by using online resources, (of course there is going to be trial and error, experience vs first timers) and advanced mechanics (shock rebuilding etc) but there are tons of resources.

I find that the current mechanic can go about it two ways. He/she is either super happy to wrench on something that "is easy to work on and precision made", versus the mech that has to wrench on some beater bike with 10 inches of snow and salt, fiddle with outdated parts while keeping in-line with the labor for a bike that's worth less then the new set of brake pads it requires.

But then there are still mechanics who also have no idea, or take on more then they can chew, or just don't like the (insert pretentious bike build) customer who cant even adjust the high limit screw on his FD, doesn't tip, wants to pay $5 tops and expects in and out service.

Past and present there are many ways to play the cards.

I find its more fun to try and DIY, and should you need help (small part, advice, a hand) make the trip to your LBS.
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gitsome
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by gitsome

After sustaining so much damage (including entire frames broken) by mechanics, there are exactly 2 mechanics in all of NYC that I will trust my semi-WW bikes to. Thats pathetic bit true and learned the hard way. The rest couldn't care less until something breaks and then its "oops" or "we didn't do that" ... yeah I rode my cracked seat post and shattered frame in to your shop just like that. Sure.
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Ozrider
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by Ozrider

Fortunately my LBS is a small operation catering specifically to custom builds and ordering in standard and custom frames from Parlee, Legend and DeKerf. They also stock Specialized, Cannondale and Focus bikes.
The owner specialises in hand built wheels, and enjoys assisting customers with restorations and custom builds.
His advice on parts is invaluable as he knows which parts work well together, what parts have a rep for failure.
It is great to pop in for a beer on a Friday and chat about a planned project, and come away with good ideas and assistance to get a bike built the way you want it


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ultimobici
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by ultimobici

Ozrider wrote:Fortunately my LBS is a small operation catering specifically to custom builds and ordering in standard and custom frames from Parlee, Legend and DeKerf. They also stock Specialized, Cannondale and Focus bikes.
The owner specialises in hand built wheels, and enjoys assisting customers with restorations and custom builds.
His advice on parts is invaluable as he knows which parts work well together, what parts have a rep for failure.
It is great to pop in for a beer on a Friday and chat about a planned project, and come away with good ideas and assistance to get a bike built the way you want it


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Ozrider
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by Ozrider

Very perceptive, I will pass on your message. They are a great shop, and are really willing to build truly "custom" bikes, or as their name denotes bespoke cycles.
Ozrider - Western Australia
Parlee Z5 XL (6055g/13.32lbs) Trek Madone 5.9 (7052-7500g)Jonesman Columbus Spirit (8680g)
Chase your dreams - it's only impossible until it's done

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elviento
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by elviento

For a mechanic doing this as a job and not as a hobby, it's not hard to understand why:

1. More finicky to work on (ZG brakes, tiny bolts here and there, etc.); Stuff a lot more delicate, breaking a bolt could mean $$$.
2. May need to study new manuals, etc. and may require special tools.
3. Owner of a $400 stem is probably a lot more demanding than the owner of a $400 bike.
4. Almost zero chance you will buy a high dollar item from the shop (or buy anything at all from them).

Just sayin'
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NiFTY
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by NiFTY

I think if you decide to go down the weight weenie path, then you must be prepared to do all the building/maintenance yourself. It is actually not difficult. I also don't really trust the bike shops to correctly tension items. Whenever you have been at LBS near the workshop how often have you seen a torque wrench in someones hands? Never?
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Camilo
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by Camilo

I think if you decide to go down the weight weenie path, then you must be prepared to do all the building/maintenance yourself. It is actually not difficult. I also don't really trust the bike shops to correctly tension items. Whenever you have been at LBS near the workshop how often have you seen a torque wrench in someones hands? Never?


Yea, I was really surprise that anyone who is interested enough in this hobby would be using a bike shop for installation of parts, especially such dead simple stuff as stems, seatposts, etc. "Just Riders" type of folks, yea, I understand that. All they want to do is ride the damn thing and could care less about how it works. Truly nothing wrong with that.

But they aren't interested in the arcane details of component weights. People who are have no excuse for using a shop for their work.

Folks, there is nothing, absolutely nothing, about assembling a bike that a person with no mechanical background cannot do with a simple "how to" book and/or a decent competence at finding online resources.

The tools are virtually trivial, most are just standard allen keys - although all the standard and basic specialty tools could cost a couple hundred US dollars all in all, or about .75 as many Euros.

Aside from facing and chasing, pressing some bottom bracket bearings, and aligning a RD hanger (I do get those things done at a shop, but that isn't part installation) the tools are simple hand tools, mostly standard tools. The few specialty tools you need can be found in non-commercial quality from places like Pedros, Park or Performance for very little money.

I have almost everything I need to completely assemble a modern or retro bike (don't have bearing presses, BB facer or hanger aligner) and I probably have $300 in tools, and $150 of that is the repair stand alone. I even have a couple of beam torque wrenches, a variety of BB tools and way more than necessary redundantcy in my hex/allen keys (L shaped, T-handle w/ ball end, replaceable bit screwdriver handle, etc.).

I can do almost every installation and adjustment on the road with my mini-tool.

I'm no mechanical genius but learned this stuff all on my own, in the old days using "Glenn's" comprehensive bicycle repair manual, and currently just looking for specific things online.

by Weenie


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