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

[legrandefromage]

Truing a wheel is a joy to behold. Crowds of small children gather to watch me at work (I should really stop fixing my bike in a school playground) as I magically 'straighten' a wheel

 

[cce]

wrapping bar tape.

I've recently started nailing it, but it used to really annoy me.

 

[legrandefromage]

again another joy to behold as crowds of children...

you get the idea

For others who may be new to it all, its practice. wheel truing is practice. Bar tape is practice. Matching front mechs and shifters is a little tricky as there are very few work arounds but that one is experience. If you only build one or two bikes a year, it aint gonna happen.

 

[elPedro666]

Re:

Yeah, bar-tape scares me...

 

[konacarl]

Re:

Has to be hubs/cones for me. Get them nice and smooth, fit the wheel to the bike and there's play in the wheel when its on! :evil:

 

[kingoffootball]

I actually enjoy doing hubs, I find it satisfying.

My disfavourite job is probably cleaning drivechains, especially in winter.

 

[aguycalled80]

Putting a new cable in the older SRAM Gripshifts. The ones where you had to pull the shifter apart to get the cable out.

When I worked in a shop, I ended up replacing quite a few of these because I broke them trying to put them back together.

Where's the My Favorite Thing To Do thread? Nothing beats installing a new headset.

 

[syncrosfan]

Anything that involves removing seized/rusted to hell parts (which one would encounter a lot when dealing with used vintage bikes). Anti-seize paste people, use it! and stop over-torquing bolts (get a torque wrench). What else...? Trying to bleed disc brakes with the basic cheapo bleed kit, absolutely infuriating (I should spring the 50 bucks for the Magura professional bleed kit).

 

[videojetman]

After putting a set of cantllever brakes on my latest bike. I found it a little frustrating finding the right springs for a start, I find there is a real art to setting up cantilever brakes, and very satisfying when they work well. The key is patience.
And another job I have found recently is freeing up a stuck seatpost and removing a seized bottom bracket cup.
It's very satisfying removing something which was stuck for many years.

 

[T'boo Ted]

Working on bikes... don't really like it no mtter what the job. It's something that has to be done, but I don't like doing it.