The Spanner Thread 🔧

For maintenance questions.

Is it worth doing a Cytech home mechanic course or will they just teach me how to change a tube?

What is your goal? Do you want to do all your maintenance yourself, or just be able to fix things when they go wrong?

Just watch videos on web as and when you need it

I just learn better in class environments and want to know more about bike mechanics, but don’t want to pay to be shown how to clean chains/adjust brakes/index gears/change tyre/etc.

Damo does them by the hour....mucho cheap

LMNH does decent courses.

I find Park Tool website and GCN to be good for a spannering tings although I tend to outsource such stuff to experts.

I throw money at it. I have no time for tinkering and I usually fuck things up if inrush or tired.

My alternative strategy is to buy parts and hope they assemble themselves.

That’s my approach too. I think the bike shops of south east London approve of this, as they ultimately benefit.

I have an Evernote list of all of my spannerings, video and learnings. Have the Park Tools book and have done some bits but basically I 99% of the time take bikes to mechanics, partly because I over tighten, and partly because it shifts to accountability onto a professional. #csb

I have an appointment with one soon I think.
"You said you'd chop the fork down, can yiu? And put these things together? Thanks!"

I’m in the process of upgrading the groupset on my cross bike, at some point soon I’ll give up and hand it over to a bike shop to fit, despite me being confident could do it all myself.

I tried to fit mudguards with Alex and Luke running around the garden.

I perservered for 90 mins. Failed to fit the mudguards.

And now Alex says "fucking"

Pretty sure Lydia hasn't heard him, but I am in deep shit.

Meh. All kids should know when to drop the f bomb.

Parent chat >>>>>>>

Nath: thenlmnh one is good.
Most of the time it's about having: time, patience, the right tools, and the ability to think before making a critical error.

Man of experience

Love it.

I was putting up a trampoline, without reading the instructions of course. Edie said to Joel, "Daddy has started to mutter, we better go inside."

I've not learned from my errors though Ved.

I do all my own mechanic work.

Would only consider outsourcing wheel truing to Jaygee, he's a 3rd dan black belt.

Fucking ace! Got to love kids.

"Daddy has started to mutter, lets bounce..."

How handy are you in general Nath?

Most of it is VVV straightforward.

I suck at cabling.

I don’t even know how to pump my own fucking tyres up.