self service?

[Cyclist33]

hi.

so if say, i wanted to strip down my hybrid and clean all the internal parts, so wheel hubs, cassette and chain, bottom boracket and crankset, and mechs and shifters, what tools would i need, what products would i need, and how much would i expect to pay if i had none of the above but wanted to do it from scratch?

ta

stu

 

[Rob3rt]

Depends on the wheels, crankset and bottom bracket. There are brand specific tools.

 

[sidevalve]

Special tools all depend on the bike / types of components involved. Everyday tools depend on if you want to do it for a living or just as a hobby [or even just once only]. It also depends on if you have any tools at all already. No offence intended here but if you have nothing is it because you have no mechanical ability [be honest with yourself] or simply because you have never tried and wish to learn ? If the former you'd be better off at a good LBS, if the latter I would suggest checking out the many U tube vids on bike repairs etc, getting a good bike book and then checking prices. I'd recommend E bay for special tools and any good tool store for the others. Take care and buy what you need one tool at a time, lare sets often contain tools you either don't need, don't fit your bike or can easily be "done without".

 

[numbnuts]

This may help
http://www.parktool.com/blog/repair-help

 

[accountantpete]

Leave the wheel hubs for now - they may require special tools and a bit of knowledge/skill.

I just give my brifters a spray of WD40.

The rest just need tools and a bit of patience- try it one at a time. So chain this week, rear mech the following week etc etc.

.

 

[Cyclist33]

Thanks folks for all the advice. What I was really after was a ballpark figure for if I had no tools at the moment, and wanted to strip down the working parts so I could check, clean and regrease or whatever, and reinstall them afterwards, what tools would I need and how much ish could I expect to pay?

Reason I'm thinking of avoiding LBS is they often then quote for repairs and replacements, whereas all I want to get an idea of is how much to maintain the existing parts?

Shimano btw, and a square taper BB.


Ta
Stu

 

[compo]

Depends on your hybrid.
My latest one could be stripped with little more than a couple of allen keys and a pair of thin spanners and a couple of inexpensive special tools for the BB and gear cassette.
My older hybrid would require allen keys, a 32mm thin spanner (for the threaded headset), screwdrivers, 8mm spanner, wheel spanner for the nutted axles, special tools to remove freewheel and BB.
Using online suppliers I reckon you could get all you need for under £25, maybe even less. I agree with others though, buy tools as you need them, then buy the best you can afford.

 

[sidevalve]

'fraid it's still a bit of a "how long is a piece of string" job. BB tools, spanners, hex heys etc etc all come in different qualities. You could do it all for £30 - £50 [just don't expect to do it very often]. I would recomend getting a stand of some sort, either a basic rear wheel type or a full on workstand. Again this can be from &20 - £200 on it's own. The above advice is spot on, do one job at a time and get the tools to do it as you need them.

 

[Nebulous]

I got a basic Halfords kit as a starter and have added in other things over time. So an Edinburgh bike stand, Park BB tool, cable cutter etc. All in all I'm probably at £200 or so. I already had a couple of socket sets and some other reasonable tools like screwdrivers.

I've had my bike for 2 years now, done about 8,000 miles and it hasn't been in a bike shop once, so its been worth it in my view. You could probably do better than the Halfords set, and if I was starting again I'd probably buy individual tools I needed rather than that kit. Edinburgh bike also do one which might be better. Its the type of thing they tend to reduce quite a bit in their sale.

 

[ashworthacca]

I've recently been on a bike maintenance course and started with no tools at all. I have an old Claud Butler that is in for respray and my intention was to strip it down and fully service it myself.

To date I have spent about £250 and have built up quite a workshop with that. The bike stand was about £50 but I got quite a few of the tools at bargain prices.

 

[PpPete]

I got a basic Halfords kit as a starter and have added in other things over time. So an Edinburgh bike stand, Park BB tool, cable cutter etc. All in all I'm probably at £200 or so. I already had a couple of socket sets and some other reasonable tools like screwdrivers.

I've had my bike for 2 years now, done about 8,000 miles and it hasn't been in a bike shop once, so its been worth it in my view. You could probably do better than the Halfords set, and if I was starting again I'd probably buy individual tools I needed rather than that kit. Edinburgh bike also do one which might be better. Its the type of thing they tend to reduce quite a bit in their sale.

Have to say it always baffles me why in those kits they always include one of the crappiest type of spoke nipple keys, half the slots of which have not been used for nipple sizes since WWII or before.... and then they always miss out a cable cutter which is an absolute "essential" in my book.

 

[fossyant]

Worth getting the tools just a few at a time. I've got everything now, but its taken many many years.

BBs aren't serviceable these days, but they do need removing and refitting once in a while to check for water ingress. Wheels are worth doing, you will need cone spanners from 13mm to 17mm for most hubs, including cartridge. Cartridge bearing hubs need a slightly different approach as you just replace the whole bearing cartridge. Cup and cone need looking after, as it can be new hubs if the bearing races get damaged on the hubs.

 

[Ed no-more-lemons]

Closest I've ever gotten to a professional service has been to get parts advise and order the thing through the shop. This has worked well and up until the last few years I have managed with very few tools. However as I have become more thorough, the collection expands.

A stand would have been nice, but you can make do without many things, although sometimes only trial and error will prove whether this is the case.
Apart from the specialist bits and bobs my mini vice is an absolute godsend(maybe not for your ali or carbon frames?) but theres always a heavier more precise one out there if only I could find one cheap.
Many years of practice has meant that even now I have never owned a proper cable cutter, but use mole grips alongside basic Draper pliers.
Improvisation is the mother of invention, but its not a patch on the tried and tested.

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

There's a little londoncyclist email circular that I subscribed to a while ago and they've just launched an online bike maintenance course for a tenner. You may get a few answers there - http://maintenance.londoncyclist.co.uk/

EDIT: I just noticed that the course price rises to £20 from tomorrow!