Weight Weenies

As long as he correctly compressed the housing and tested it I don't see the problem?

Pro mechanics are about speed, efficiency and functionality. They clean and maintain many bikes, every day, in short periods of time. NWS has it right. If you can save 5 minutes every bike build, that's 2.5 hours after 30 bikes have been built.

As for the difference between LBS and pro mechanics, I've never seen a bike shop mechanic hanging out of a car window fixing a bike on the fly. Pro mechanic is not a glamorous job.

I get the picture, and hey it's just one guys opinion here, so don't get too worked up. I personally wouldn't settle for such a half-assed assembly job. But sure, I get I might not have a choice.

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bobbyOCR wrote:Pro mechanic is not a glamorous job.

Of course it is, don't ruin my dream But it's just a trainingbike too, not racebike. The parts I was missing is taping the handlebar, always interesting to learn new tricks. And then cuttint seatpost and stem that they didn't show.

Here's a build of Contador's red jersey Tarmac: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4HsZZesZd4

When did El Fingerbang switch to speedplay?

The thing that caught my eye was no use of torque wrenches. Especially for the hirth joint for the crank. The next thing I noticed too was the cable ends not being properly prepped.

I like how he loosely threaded the bolts of the face plate to the stem and fed the bar through the stem like that. I asked myself... damn that is a good way, why don't I do that.

Then I realized how it won't work for me. What I like to do is setup the shift hoods/levers on the bench. So I set the bar flat on the table with a lever assembly not tightened... hold it still. Have the tip of the brake lever touch the table and the flat spot of drops flat on the table. Tighten the clamp bolt. Then repeat the same on the other side. It makes it so it guarantees both left and right shift levers are at the exact height. Especially good for handlebars without markings to measure off of. Then I balance the bar, faceplate and bolts and thread it in by finger tips.

Then I put the bike down on the ground with the wheel on (I have the same work stand as the video). Eyeball the handlebar hoods and transition to bar and have that parallel with the work bench/floor etc... and tighten the faceplate bolts down. Then centre the stem with respect to the front tire. Tighten down finger tight. Get the torque wrench out and torque face plate, and stem to spec.

Too bad he didn't show the shortening of the seatmast and steerer tube. I'm not a pro mechanic and don't work in a bike shop. But I'm a trained engineering and also a trained tool and die maker. Even with that cutting steerer tubes and seat masts makes me nervous each time. I measure atleast 3 times, verify all my markings... stand back... give it some though then start cutting.

Also, how did he measure the chain length up. I don't speak Italian, so I may have lost what he was trying to do. But the train was threaded into the drivetrain. It was small to small and he pulled tension the chain and matched up 4 links? I've always done the big to big way, where the chain is not fed through the derailleur but just big to big, find the next matching links and cut.

Oh and the one thing I really liked was he checked the derailleur alignment even though the frame was brand new. Previously I never checked it for brand new frames. I learned my lesson on my Rocky Mountain carbon mountain bike when I struggled with shifting issues even though the entire bike and drivetrain was new. it would ghost shift when the rear suspension compressed or when high load was applied. I pulled everything apart like 5 times verified everything and then still couldn't figure it out. Bought the Park Tool alignment tool and realized the rear hanger was twisted from the factory.

AGW wrote:Here's a build of Contador's red jersey Tarmac: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4HsZZesZd4

Another sloppy build ?

Seriously, it ain't rocket science...

I'm pretty sure that this guy is just fine at building a bike.

Tokyo Drifter wrote::roll: I'm pretty sure that this guy is just fine at building a bike.

+1.

I've seen some truly anal-retentive amateur mechanics. They do things that are above and beyond necessary in the name of 'perfection.'

For 99% of the populace, finishing the ends of housing, etc is completely wasted effort. :nod Depending on how my housing ends look after cutting with my 20 year old Shimano cutters, I usually don't do a whole lot of finishing and I can brake and shift just fine thankyouverymuch.

Is it close to having the right cable run? Yes.
Does it shift? Yes.
/assembly

M

Is there such a thing as an armchair mechanic on WW?!?

Answer: YES!

LOL, I guess I fall into the 'anal-retentive amateur mechanic' category. But I also wipe my ass with anything that works 'just fine...' The beauty of perfection, is there is no middle ground

Hi,

Whilst I understand the pro-mechanic time/stress compromise situation I'm very much like DMF.
Close to prefect is just not good enough for me, it must be more than perfect and I'll gladly do better for a team than I'd do for me. Just silly pride I guess. (I am not a mechanic though)

Heck I'm hardly satisfied with any product out there and if I can improve it I will.

Sometimes however I run into the reality of real life and as the froggies say: " Le mieux est l'ennemi du bien"

Ciao,

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Great Prices ✓    Broad Selection ✓    Worldwide Delivery ✓

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I'm getting a little butthurt watching these pro mechanics build bikes so fast. I like to take nearly all day on my builds, no rush, low efficiency. It is really impressive though.