Does anyone know of some charity or project in London that will teach me how to do a full service of my bike?
It’s a new years skill I’ve decided I need. (Although I might wait now till it’s a LITTLE warmer I guess)
It’s a new years skill I’ve decided I need. (Although I might wait now till it’s a LITTLE warmer I guess)
Comments
General adjustments and light lubrication?
Bear in mind if you want to start re-greasing bearings and such, you will need to invest in some tools.
Everything is possible to do at home with time, tools, YouTube/web
Look here too.
https://www.sheldonbrown.com/
The site https://www.sheldonbrown.com/ is an amazing resource for old bikes and how to fix or service them
But it has nothing about Hydraulic disk brakes (for example) which are more popular now than then
The fundamentals of bikes are the same, regardless of e-shifting or any other marketing dream.
Learning the basics is the way to start.
Alternatively, 'repair cafes' are a good start. State what you need when booking. There should be some in your area (see here for East London https://eastlondonwaste.gov.uk/repair-cafes/)
Both will show you what you need to do.
(Internal Shimano gears ≈ converted Swiss watches.)
When stuck or unsure, in darkness or in doubt, besides running in circles, scream and shout, I consult YouTube clips.
I am now self-sufficient in this field.
/GL
Fixing most things on bikes is really straightforward once you've got the principles of how it all works. A wonderful thing to learn.
So thanks for the tips on YouTube or books but that’s not really what I’m after.
It breaks down the skills taught.
https://www.cyclinguk.org/courses-training/personal-skills-development/maintenance-skills/road-and-trailside-maintenance
If you were up here I'd go through the basics with you. Or point you to somewhere / people who work specifically with women in that field.
If you wanted to fix something you'd go to the bicycle shop and ask them what you needed and buy the stuff and/or tools.
Get some Swarfega too!
But Brent also uses them and they turn up at farmers markets once a month or so
https://www.lbk.org.uk
https://www.instagram.com/yourbikeproject_ct?igsh=MWluNnQ5d2JzNjJuZg==
https://www.backinthesaddlebikes.co.uk/
https://www.hounslow.gov.uk/info/20053/transport/1985/cycling_in_hounslow/2
Relied on Richard to understand my bike & how to mend it. Older versions had really handy picture guides.https://www.worldofbooks.com/en-gb/products/richard-s-new-bicycle-book-book-richard-ballantine-9780330313155?price=3.70
If you need to know about disk brakes you'd be completely out of luck with this
https://lewishamcyclists.org.uk/helping-you-ride/maintenance-classes/
And what jobs are you already able to tackle?
Hope you do find a good course - it's a satisfying, rewarding and money-saving skill.
Worth getting one of these to check your chain (other brands available).
https://www.halfords.com/cycling/bike-maintenance/bike-tools/halfords-chain-wear-checker-164099.html
Things like brake blocks are usually fairly straightforward to replace, but there's a knack. So a course/ YouTube videos, would be very useful.
A good local bike shop is very valuable - especially for skilled jobs like wheel truing.
https://www.sheldonbrown.com/diy.html
Bike maintenance is perfectly doable. If yours is a simple, traditional bike, and it's kept indoors when not in use, lightly oiling the chain is probably enough.
- knowing the engineering on a bike. Each thing has it's own solution.
- having the right tool for the job. Even simple tasks can need specialist tools.
- how to use tools (e.g. the correct way to tighten a bolt).
A full service is ambitious. Start smaller.
But servicing *your own bike* can be simpler. If you know what type of bottom bracket you have then you only need the one tool for that BB. Rather than the several different possibilities
Personally, if I lived in a town I would find a LBS and outsource it :)
I had a diagnostic where it filtered issues e.g. "Squeak" "When" "Where" which led to likely issues which then led to appropriate solutions.
Checking is something everyone should be able to do. Fixing - not necessarily so.
Fixing a puncture. Essential, non-trivial skill with multiple tasks to understand.
Checking a chain - stage 1, check. 2. Cleaning it. Use the LBS if it needs changing.
https://www.instagram.com/zoombikeproject?igsh=ZTNwdTZydDhsbXJ2
https://thebikeproject.co.uk/