What's your most hated bike job....? Me, rebuilding hubs...

[Mike Muz]

Re: Re:

Apart from cleaning really dirty and neglected bikes, there aren't really any jobs that I don't enjoy.

Hubs are quite nice to work on. I've just completed my set of cone spanners...

So you rate the Park Tools ones then? Excellent, been looking for some decent repacements.
On the subject of hubs, I'll add, rummaging around for washer/s to pack out an axle so it drops in the frame nicely. They're always front when you want a rear, and vice versa. Normal everyday washers are often too thick for the job of fine tuning

Mike

 

[elPedro666]

Re: Re:

99% of dealing with the ball ache is having the right tools and knowing how to use them.

No, 99% is having a good strong cuppa in hand

I'm going to assume that you took that as going without saying and mean 99% of the rest of job, in which case never a truer word said...!

 

[drystonepaul]

Re: Re:

So you rate the Park Tools ones then?

Some Park tools are very good, some not so good. The bike specific ones are worth looking at but they are usually a bit over priced for what they are if you are paying full retail price all the time. I wouldn't bother with more general tools like hammers, screwdrivers and saws etc. Unless you absolutely must make sure everything matches.

I also have tools from Shimano, Campagnolo, Cyclo, Cyclus, Tacx, VAR, Pedros, Bahco, Weldtite, MorningStar and several others I can't think of.

 

[paddlingpool]

Never have any trouble getting mechs to drop right, setting brake blocks however...
Blood-boiler.

This ^^^

Everything else I'm fine with.

 

[WWC]

Re:

Removing stubborn cassette lockrings seems to be my nemesis...

Broke my, albeit cheap, chainwhip at the weekend.

 

[dirttorpedo]

I hate building and truing wheels. Might be different if I had a truing stand. As it is, it just seems like alchemy to me. I don't love rebuilding hubs, but I can get it right 99% of the time.

 

[JonSus]

I hate installing computers, anything to do with auto racks and gluing tubulars. And now they want to put them on mountain bikes.

 

[Mike Muz]

I hate installing computers, anything to do with auto racks and gluing tubulars. And now they want to put them on mountain bikes.

Think you're safe with that one. The wheels won't turn with an auto rack attached!
Seriously though, I've avoided tubular tyres like the plague. They may "roll well", but do I need the grief of stretching them, gluing them, fitting them straight? And that's without the nightmare scenario of a puncture. To me, they only make sense if you're in a pro team, with a mechanic, and a following car behind you every time you go out just in case you get a puncture.

Mike

 

[mattr]

They've had tubular tyres on MTBs for several years.
Thankfully it's been/being eclipsed by the tubeless systems.

 

[Radar]

Re:

There are certain things in life that i have little or no knowledge of, so always 'get a man in' - plumbing, gas and mains electricity. Wheels are a case in point, i have no idea how to true a wheel, would love to have the skillz. I want to know how to build wheels, until that fettling nirvana is achieved then Sam will have my business.

Front mechs - they either go swimmingly or are a complete pain. A case of thinking too much about them and everything goes tits up. In those cases i must remember that the first thing i should do is take it off, put everything back to factory settings, then put it away until tomorrow; rather than remembering that's what I have to do some 3 hours later. Front mechs are a zen thing, they just go on right or not, with the occasional look at Zinn to remember which limit screw is which.

So apart from that most jobs are fine as long as you have the right tools, coupled with the magical ability of knowing when something is going wrong to recognise your own limitations and visit your lbs before you completely fubar the job completely