Jim: As always, thanks for the thoughtful discussion. Many of the observations regarding thinking things through before pickup any tools, not forcing things, etc., are universal. I've always enjoyed working on my own bikes & those of friends, etc., and have gotten used to a certain baseline level of quality in components. As members of this group, we have a certain appreciation for stuff that works well, even in fairly basic grades. Components that are decently made, work well and are intended to be maintained and adjusted. These things make life good. Recently I've been working through an inventory of cast-off bikes (donations from police depts, big box store returns, etc.) at a local charity. These are typically not well made in the first place and are equipped with unlabeled components. Most of the fasteners are some form of steel (they rust instantly) but are quite soft & require a gentle touch. In short, they are meant to sell (in the $100-$200 range) but never be worked on. Needless to say, I would starve as a flat rate mechanic working on these. There is, however, a certain challenge to bringing these up to functionality, and satisfaction in doing so. Fortunately I control the pace & volume of my work and so am able to quit when I've had my fill of wrenching. A bonus is that it keeps me from screwing around with my Atlantis. dougP
On Monday, October 8, 2012 3:36:55 PM UTC-7, Cyclofiend Jim wrote: > Kent always speaks great truths with an economy of words. That's great > that he's doing that. > > Additionally, the Park Tools website has a lot of this info currently > available. Not necessarily videos, but good, clear steps for the most part. > > http://www.parktool.com/blog/repair-help > > And, of course on anything that can be reasonably taken apart with common > bicycle tools (and some deeper delving, as well), AASHTA* > > Wrenching is funny business. At one point in my life, I "tightened up my > loose spokes" with a crescent wrench, and the result, which would not even > fit into the frame of my bike, caused a good deal of chuckling when the > bike was sheepishly carried into the local shop. I once used pretty much > the whole roll of solder trying to attach metal rods to a piece of thick > plastic for a science experiment in grade school. (Now, the fact that a > youngster should be able to gain unsupervised access a soldering iron at > that age should say less about my parents and more about my inventiveness > in beginning projects.) I clearly had the desire, but not the skills. > > Luckily, at some point, I did buy a Sloan's manual, and had the disposable > time to mis-adjust my way to proper setup, and brought enough tools along > on most rides to retorque loosening bolts. Along the way, I pulled apart > cameras (mechanical ones) computers and electronic devices (mostly air back > then, anyway) and met a few folks that were handy with tools. > > I gained a finer appreciation for that point when you're about to do > something really stupid. I learned that you can force things - some > materials more than others. I dug deeper into my bicycles and acquired > uniquely specific tools (Shimano 600 headset wrenches, as an example) that > did only one odd thing. Pin tools. Third Hands. > > But, I was lucky to fall under the tutelage of a couple good mechanics. > One was a bike mechanic, the other a computer guy. They were methodical > and focused. They taught me how to troubleshoot things. They taught me > that adding leverage to a bad approach made things much worse, very > quickly. They taught me to use the right tool for the job. When I worked in > the bike industry, I got to interact frequently with the head mechanics at > our stores, and watched a couple of them as they worked on my bike (only > let a couple of them do actual work on my bike...) when they noticed > something that wasn't quite right. > > It happened slowly. And I didn't really even realize the extent of the > effect until I was helping my dad on his boat and ended up fixing the bilge > pump - finding the missing bolt which had fallen inside the pump and would > have crunched the internals if it had kicked on. My dad, who had been > moderately in favor of just using the other 5 and not worrying about the > sixth, gave me a funny look and asked when I had become such a mechanic. > > Which I really didn't think I was, and in my opinion, compared to folks > who actually do that work day in and day out, I most definitely am not. > > But, that led me to believe that it's mostly about approach. Parts off. > Laid down in order. Notes when you need them. Tools back in the rack when > you aren't actively using them. Steady pressure. Consistent steps. > Thinking it through before you touch a tool. Being present and focused when > using the tools. If things get frustrating, setting things down and > stepping away. Returning only when you are calm and focused. > > It sounds kind of ponderous and boring, but it's really a practice. An > approach to problem solving. And you faster and more efficient at a lot of > the steps. > > For me, I've never wanted my bike to be a mystery - the technical end of > it has always been fascinating. I also depend upon my bicycle to work > properly under some very stressful conditions. I do bet my life and bones > on it working properly. For me, that's meant me or a reasonably trusted > party working on my bicycle. > > Some people just aren't drawn to that. Or they think they should be but > don't have the patience. There's nothing wrong with being in the "bigger > hammer" crowd, but it is helpful if you admit it to yourself before you go > at a misadjusted derailleur with a pair of vise grips. > > Or more likely, they are kind of cursed by the way things get fixed now - > most bicycle repairs are the mechanical equivalent of a "board swap" - > where you remove the whole circuit board because there's one bad connection > on it. It would take too long to troubleshoot to find the faulty > connection, and since everything is microprinted connections, there's > little chance of actually redoing the work. > > That is one of the reasons I've ended up enjoying Rivendell's approach to > things. If you have to get all confusing and use multiple gears, then you > ought to be able to take the bits apart when they wear out. I've always > felt that it's a shame to complicate a simple system - whether fly reels, > bicycles, shifters, cameras, shovels or lawn mowers. A good simple tool is > always an asset, especially when it only requires simple tools to maintain. > > - Jim > > Jim Edgar / cyclofiend.com > > > *since a few folks didn't know this term last time I used it - "As Always, > Sheldon Has The Answer" - a good place to start is here: > http://sheldonbrown.com/articles.html > I miss him. > > > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. 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