DIY Bike Maintenance

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Lango8181

New Member
Hi All,

After buying my own road (Cube Peloton) last March, I have recently paid someone to give it an initial service. Although they have done a really good job, it did start me thinking that it would be more enjoyable and satisfying to do that sort of stuff myself.

Does anyone know of any bike maintenance courses that you can go on to get the basics? I live in Ealing West London so would need to be fairly local.

Also, what type of money would I need to be spending on getting the appropriate tools to do basic stuff to keep the bike in good condition?

Thanks for your help in advance

Lango
 

on the road

Über Member
You'll be better off purchasing a book on bike maintenance. Bike maintenance is fairly easy once you know how, just get a decent book and you'll see just how easy it actually is.
 

swee'pea99

Legendary Member
Also there are some good sites out there - bicycletutor.com and parktools are both good. And there are lots of good short vids on youtube for specific things. But OTR's basically spot on - most of it's really easy. It's really obvious how it all works...you just have to look at things and draw the obvious conclusions. It's not like electronics or cars - it's all things conected to other things by cables - pull on this end and this happens at that end - ....give or take.
 

Davidc

Guru
Location
Somerset UK
Another is Sheldon Brown.

Buy a workstand - it'll pay for itslf in saved breakages.

It's obvious, but start with the simple things, and those which are easily reversible. Build up your confidence with those, get the feel of it, and you'll be away. If it's too difficult or you're just not confident enough don't be to proud to take it to someone else.

(And don't take any notice of R4s You & Yours programme!)
 
1st I would say a course, 2nd a bike book, 3rd Sheldon Brown and bicycletutor.com...
 
I second the advice about books, Sheldon Brown, etc. Also do not skimp when it comes to buying tools; if you are keen on cycling, these tools will last you a lifetime and save you much more than their initial cost. Good tools are a pleasure to work with, and increase the chances of fixing the problem. They also eat nothing while sitting in a tool box while waiting to be used again. A workstand is a good idea too; I picked up mine on ebay for only £9 + postage and packing! It is a wall-mounted job that is not quite as versatile as a free-standing type, but it is a top quality piece of kit and does the job for very little cash.
 
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