I can say that as a long-time amateur mechanic recently turned pro, one of the best investments you can make at this point is a nice, stable workstand for the bike. Park makes decent consumer stands starting from $200 or so. That'll go a long ways towards giving you easy access to all parts of the bicycle, and provide a strong, stable mount against which to torque down things like bottom brackets, cranks, etc, which in turn will reduce the risk of paint chips and busted knuckles.
Using a workstand determines the order in which the build goes. I usually start by prepping the seattube, binder, and seatpost, since that is what you will use to hang the bike in the stand. Sometimes I use a long dummy post for purposes of clamping in the stand (an old kalloy post with a stripped head). Hanging the frame/fork in the stand, my order would then be: -bottom bracket -cranks -pedals -install derailleurs and brakes on frame -bar/stem/brake levers/shift levers -wheels on frame (assuming cassette/FW already installed on rear wheel, and tires installed and inflated) -cut chain to length, install -run cables/housing, adjust derailleurs and brakes -trim cables Then you can take it out of the stand, install the final seat and seatpost, and do a final check over to make sure things like the stem is on straight and the handlebars are where you want them, there's no play in the headset under load, etc. Ride a few times without tape to make sure the brake levers are where you want them to be. Grease is needed on major metal-to-metal contact points to prevent creaking and rust/oxidation. So: definitely on the seatpost and stem where they enter the seattube and fork. Also, grease basically any threaded interface, especially high-stress ones like stem bolts, seat tube binder, seatpost clamp, crank bolts. Smaller stuff like cable pinch bolts I usually don't bother with grease. However, people don't generally grease things like the stem-bar interface, since that can lead to slipping, although I have heard of resorting to just a little bit of grease if that area is creaking. It's an area of debate but with square taper cranksets, i usually pass a greasy finger over the bottom bracket tapers before installing the cranks; i find it helps them seat better. Good luck! On Monday, September 3, 2012 10:29:40 PM UTC-7, Michael Richters wrote: > > I'm about to embark on the adventure of putting together a bicycle for > the first time, and I find myself anticipating all manner of > difficulties arising from my lack of experience. I've got my > brand-new A Homer Hilsen and a large assortment of parts, doo-dads, > and associated accoutrements, and even most -- if not all -- of the > tools that I ought to need to put it all together, but before I begin, > I'd like to solicit some advice from the learned audience of this > mailing list. > > My first dilemma is where to begin. Clearly, I have a few choices, > but it's not clear what unforseen surprises await me if I do things in > an order that it less than optimal. The only thing attached to the > frame so far is the headset (and front fork, of course). Perhaps the > best thing to start with would be the bottom bracket, then the cranks? > Or maybe there's a good reason to set up the stem and handlebar > first? Speaking of which, it seems nigh-impossible to get the brake > levers I've got onto the bar. If watched this video > (http://youtu.be/oEUm3VzF_Z0), but it seems the bar that I've chosen > (Grand Bois Randonneur) might have a larger diameter in the bend, > because even with the clamp loosened all the way (or, indeed, > separated completely from the brake levers), it's a very tight fit, > and it seems impossible to slide onto the bar without causing lots of > zig-zag scratches in the aluminum bar. > > This brings me to another, more general question -- where and how much > grease to use. It doesn't seem like a great idea to grease the > aforementioned brake lever clamps, but maybe that's the only way to > get them in place. My inclination is to grease just about everything, > especially threads, but maybe there are a few places where lubrication > is a particularly bad idea, and everyone is just assumed to know about > it... > > Here's hoping I don't destroy anything in this process; I'd rather > learn from the mistakes of others than by making my own, at least in > this case. > > --MR > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msg/rbw-owners-bunch/-/wLEzA9sJ2q0J. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en.
