I thought Tektro brakes were, ‘Shimano Tektro’ brakes 😅
Rorsh14 on
Everytime I “fix” my bike, it ends up being as broken as it was before I started – IF I’M LUCKY 🙂
But no, jokes aside, I do realize I’m a beginner at bike wrenching (and working with tools in general), so I cut myself slack and have no issues doing V brake setups 3 days in a row until I manage to get it working as well as a LBS would be able to in 15 minutes.
Hey_brando on
They’re so many for me. When I first started out I didn’t know the difference between a cassette and a freewheel. When I went to a shop to get one, it got really awkward, “let’s talk actual bike terms”
If you have a Co-Op near you, I suggest everyone starting out hang at one.
EdZep689 on
The second time I removed crank arms from a square taper BB, I was still overwhelmed with all of the new things I was learning about bikes, and excited about using my new crank arm puller again… I forgot to unscrew the fixing bolt, and pulled the threads right out of the crank arm. Argh!
Ok_Incident8962 on
I still put on rear tires tread backwards and have to remount at least 50% of the time. The front I only get right 100% because it is easier to swap the QR handle 😆
Raspieman on
I like to tell myself I make sensible budget decisions when updating parts, thinking I’ll recover the cost once I decide sell.
I do not recover the cost.
noronto on
I just got a new bike, it is replacing a bike I got in 1993. When I bought it, I realized that it doesn’t have bolts or quick release tires, everything uses an Allen key and I needed a person to explain to me twice how to shift gears. This was my yesterday.
nothing, never have been embarrassed about my bicycle obsession
MaksDampf on
I thought i could just take a 2000s roadbike, convert it to single speed, add a dynamo hub and rack and it would be a good commuter. It worked out well for a time, but 25mm front and 28mm rear tires just weren’t it and i often hit the panniers with my legs.
Tubeless with these slim tires was a clusterfuck since they needed 7+ bar to protect the rim from curb stone jumbs and would not hold the pressure for long after the first few small punctures. I realized Schwalbe pro ones or GP5000s weren’t good urban commuter tires pretty late.
vextedkitten on
I worked with hydraulics for years but I always end up in a mess when trying to bleed hydraulic disc brakes. Also they never bleed up just right first time. I will defend myself by saying non have been new units but one I have tried to bring back from the dead.
I am happy with cable operated rim brakes, V brakes are my go to as cheap, easy to set up and enough power for me.
GreenToMe95 on
My friend bullied me into getting a torque wrench after my crank arm fell off.
Olderschoolwillie on
I forgot to tighten the pad holder bolts on my vintage cantilever brakes before I went for a ride yesterday, and of course they came loose and are now lost somewhere on a gravel road.
komang2014 on
I hate TPU tubes. At this point i either use butyl or go tubeless. I also hate accidentally buying tubeless ready version of tires for usage with inner tubes. So annoying to install/uninstall and so many tubes got torn in the process.
wanklez on
I get so lost in thought spirals when a customer asks me a question related to some rabbit hole ive been down recently that i forget what they actually wanted and give them their bike back still broken. Happens all the time. Those rabbit holes are tantalizing, i tell ya h’wat.
thecursh on
I feel too far away from the beginning, but I can say that if you don’t use it you loose it. I was a great mechanic 15 years ago. Now I’m passable for home stuff and ask for LBS bailouts often enough to humble me.
The thing that a co-op mechanic will catch before a professional mechanic almost every time is a caged bearing being put in upside down/backwards.
The behavior is that the headset/bb/axle goes immediately from too lose to too tight without ever hitting the sweet spot.
lawn_neglect on
I am useless at derailleur adjustment
RaindropDrinkwater on
I put the brake levers the wrong way round (swapped them, so they were in effect upside down) when I put on my new handlebar on my x-commutrmtb. 😶🌫️
They’re back in their rightful place now.
A-STax32 on
Adjusting indexing derailleurs is really not that hard at all and everyone on Reddit annoys me with how difficult hey make it sound, like it’s some sort of black magic. Just watch a Parktool video on Youtube and use a cable stretcher, it’s an inexpensive tool that is very worthwhile to have. Unless something is bent, it is a very doable DIY procedure, and if something is bent, either you replace the bent derailleur or align the bent hanger, which can be done at home, but is also super easy to have an LBS do.
TheNoblestInvention on
I eyeball chain-lines
Bermnerfs on
I had my front 180mm post mount adapter installed upside and had to use a bunch of washers to actually get the caliper somewhat aligned over the rotor. It took me a couple of months before I finally saw a picture that made me realize that mine was installed wrong.
Apparently most post mount adapters come with a direction arrow printed on them, the one I bought did not. It was my first time installing disc brakes, I had always used V-brakes in the past.
UpbeatInterest184 on
I bought a lovely little torque wrench for tightening up the seatpost on my new carbon bike, and assumed I would know how to use it because I had used ones in work, so didn’t test it out. But the clicking off mechanism was much quieter than I realised which led to me promptly snapping the head off a bolt supposed to be set to 5Nm, and driving to my bike mechanic so he could drill it out and re-tap a larger thread. Worst bit is I’m a mechanical engineer 🫣
w_33_by on
I brought a 20€ rusty bike from nearby city thinking I could use it for parts for my commuter. Turns out you can’t put 26 inch wheels on a 27 inch frame because brakes don’t align.
I figured it out the moment the front wheel was mounted and the rear one all tightened with the freewheel and stuff. I only had enough parts for one set of axles and bearings so had to spend that whole evening swapping wheels back, wasting grease and time.
LaPlataPig on
I am terrible about setting cable tension for derailleurs, even though I bought a third-hand tension tool. I also really struggle with cantilever brake pads. I bought the little Jagwire brake pad wedges and still suck at proper set up.
Stud_Muffin_26 on
Happened to me yesterday. I had to break my chain three times because I keep routing it incorrectly through the derailleur lol. Need a new quick link now.
yourenotmydad on
Gatorskins are garbage to ride. I’d rather get more flats than ride those.
Bimlouhay83 on
That’s a pretty gorgeous bike OP
daBandersnatch on
I know which direction various drivetrain components thread in, but simply can wrap my head around why. To me, it seems like with drag from bushings and bearings against the motion of pedaling would apply a loosening torque to BSA BB cups, pedal threads and the like.
clemisan on
I can’t cope with hydrologic brakes or suspension forks.
And truing isn’t my best strenght.
Slounsberry on
First time I ever worked on my own bike was an old steel Schwinn from the 80s that I got from my grandpa. And of course I did what any early 20s new to biking dude would do and tried to make it look ‘cool’. A less rusty seatpost and some bullhorn bars should do the trick. Man I wonder why I’m having to work so damn hard to literally hammer these things into place…
Let’s just say modern day me recognizes there’s a lot of different standard sizes for handlebars and seatposts….sorry old frame. Probably lucky I never broke my face considering I think I jammed a 31.8 bar into an old 25.4 quill stem.
30 Comments
I thought Tektro brakes were, ‘Shimano Tektro’ brakes 😅
Everytime I “fix” my bike, it ends up being as broken as it was before I started – IF I’M LUCKY 🙂
But no, jokes aside, I do realize I’m a beginner at bike wrenching (and working with tools in general), so I cut myself slack and have no issues doing V brake setups 3 days in a row until I manage to get it working as well as a LBS would be able to in 15 minutes.
They’re so many for me. When I first started out I didn’t know the difference between a cassette and a freewheel. When I went to a shop to get one, it got really awkward, “let’s talk actual bike terms”
If you have a Co-Op near you, I suggest everyone starting out hang at one.
The second time I removed crank arms from a square taper BB, I was still overwhelmed with all of the new things I was learning about bikes, and excited about using my new crank arm puller again… I forgot to unscrew the fixing bolt, and pulled the threads right out of the crank arm. Argh!
I still put on rear tires tread backwards and have to remount at least 50% of the time. The front I only get right 100% because it is easier to swap the QR handle 😆
I like to tell myself I make sensible budget decisions when updating parts, thinking I’ll recover the cost once I decide sell.
I do not recover the cost.
I just got a new bike, it is replacing a bike I got in 1993. When I bought it, I realized that it doesn’t have bolts or quick release tires, everything uses an Allen key and I needed a person to explain to me twice how to shift gears. This was my yesterday.
https://preview.redd.it/54nekr0ww3rf1.jpeg?width=3023&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d9367a44b674fc94311e6294f6f6f713326e50c9
nothing, never have been embarrassed about my bicycle obsession
I thought i could just take a 2000s roadbike, convert it to single speed, add a dynamo hub and rack and it would be a good commuter. It worked out well for a time, but 25mm front and 28mm rear tires just weren’t it and i often hit the panniers with my legs.
Tubeless with these slim tires was a clusterfuck since they needed 7+ bar to protect the rim from curb stone jumbs and would not hold the pressure for long after the first few small punctures. I realized Schwalbe pro ones or GP5000s weren’t good urban commuter tires pretty late.
I worked with hydraulics for years but I always end up in a mess when trying to bleed hydraulic disc brakes. Also they never bleed up just right first time. I will defend myself by saying non have been new units but one I have tried to bring back from the dead.
I am happy with cable operated rim brakes, V brakes are my go to as cheap, easy to set up and enough power for me.
My friend bullied me into getting a torque wrench after my crank arm fell off.
I forgot to tighten the pad holder bolts on my vintage cantilever brakes before I went for a ride yesterday, and of course they came loose and are now lost somewhere on a gravel road.
I hate TPU tubes. At this point i either use butyl or go tubeless. I also hate accidentally buying tubeless ready version of tires for usage with inner tubes. So annoying to install/uninstall and so many tubes got torn in the process.
I get so lost in thought spirals when a customer asks me a question related to some rabbit hole ive been down recently that i forget what they actually wanted and give them their bike back still broken. Happens all the time. Those rabbit holes are tantalizing, i tell ya h’wat.
I feel too far away from the beginning, but I can say that if you don’t use it you loose it. I was a great mechanic 15 years ago. Now I’m passable for home stuff and ask for LBS bailouts often enough to humble me.
The thing that a co-op mechanic will catch before a professional mechanic almost every time is a caged bearing being put in upside down/backwards.
The behavior is that the headset/bb/axle goes immediately from too lose to too tight without ever hitting the sweet spot.
I am useless at derailleur adjustment
I put the brake levers the wrong way round (swapped them, so they were in effect upside down) when I put on my new handlebar on my x-commutrmtb. 😶🌫️
They’re back in their rightful place now.
Adjusting indexing derailleurs is really not that hard at all and everyone on Reddit annoys me with how difficult hey make it sound, like it’s some sort of black magic. Just watch a Parktool video on Youtube and use a cable stretcher, it’s an inexpensive tool that is very worthwhile to have. Unless something is bent, it is a very doable DIY procedure, and if something is bent, either you replace the bent derailleur or align the bent hanger, which can be done at home, but is also super easy to have an LBS do.
I eyeball chain-lines
I had my front 180mm post mount adapter installed upside and had to use a bunch of washers to actually get the caliper somewhat aligned over the rotor. It took me a couple of months before I finally saw a picture that made me realize that mine was installed wrong.
Apparently most post mount adapters come with a direction arrow printed on them, the one I bought did not. It was my first time installing disc brakes, I had always used V-brakes in the past.
I bought a lovely little torque wrench for tightening up the seatpost on my new carbon bike, and assumed I would know how to use it because I had used ones in work, so didn’t test it out. But the clicking off mechanism was much quieter than I realised which led to me promptly snapping the head off a bolt supposed to be set to 5Nm, and driving to my bike mechanic so he could drill it out and re-tap a larger thread. Worst bit is I’m a mechanical engineer 🫣
I brought a 20€ rusty bike from nearby city thinking I could use it for parts for my commuter. Turns out you can’t put 26 inch wheels on a 27 inch frame because brakes don’t align.
I figured it out the moment the front wheel was mounted and the rear one all tightened with the freewheel and stuff. I only had enough parts for one set of axles and bearings so had to spend that whole evening swapping wheels back, wasting grease and time.
I am terrible about setting cable tension for derailleurs, even though I bought a third-hand tension tool. I also really struggle with cantilever brake pads. I bought the little Jagwire brake pad wedges and still suck at proper set up.
Happened to me yesterday. I had to break my chain three times because I keep routing it incorrectly through the derailleur lol. Need a new quick link now.
Gatorskins are garbage to ride. I’d rather get more flats than ride those.
That’s a pretty gorgeous bike OP
I know which direction various drivetrain components thread in, but simply can wrap my head around why. To me, it seems like with drag from bushings and bearings against the motion of pedaling would apply a loosening torque to BSA BB cups, pedal threads and the like.
I can’t cope with hydrologic brakes or suspension forks.
And truing isn’t my best strenght.
First time I ever worked on my own bike was an old steel Schwinn from the 80s that I got from my grandpa. And of course I did what any early 20s new to biking dude would do and tried to make it look ‘cool’. A less rusty seatpost and some bullhorn bars should do the trick. Man I wonder why I’m having to work so damn hard to literally hammer these things into place…
Let’s just say modern day me recognizes there’s a lot of different standard sizes for handlebars and seatposts….sorry old frame. Probably lucky I never broke my face considering I think I jammed a 31.8 bar into an old 25.4 quill stem.
i rode with the wrong size chain for 500 miles