Trying here before /adv/
How did you learn about everything and anything regarding bicycles?
What is the best way to increase my knowledge on bicycle mechanics (youtube channels, books, DIY projects all welcome)?
I just started a job at a bicycle shop. I'm doing mostly sales & merchandising while shadowing the mechanics.
The shop is small, but full of goods, and the mechanics have over 60 years' combined [professional] experience (there are only 4 mechanics).
While I understand 'mastery' of any sort is life-long, I want to learn as much as possible as quickly as possible. I want to steepen my learning curve, partly because--for whatever reason--the shop can't seem to find a decent mechanic to work in the shop, and we are becoming increasingly busy as Spring progresses.
Thoughts?
>>942755
I hate to break this to you, but mechanics are just born that way.
>>942756
Okay, and if I'm picking it up quickly? Sources & suggestions, anon...that's what I'm asking for.
>>942757
Kill yourself and hope you reincarnate as a real bike mechanic? When they say life-long they mean from birth till death. You can't just pick it up half way through your life.
>>942758
Either this is bait and I'm stupid, or it's not bait and you're stupid.
>>942757
>>942758
This guy is a faggot, OP.
I'd recommend YouTube videos (bikeman4u, rj thebikeguy, etc) to help you out with some stuff, and also Sheldon Brown is basically considering a bicycle Messiah.
But really, you learn more as you go. The more you do with your own hands, the better. The way I learned about bike stuff was growing up riding bikes, figuring out how to fix various things on my own, asking questions, reading books, and doing research online.
I don't own a car, and I've never paid a shop to fix anything other than welding a frame back together, building wheels, and occasionally truing wheels (until I learned how to do it myself).
If you're mechanically inclined as is, it shouldn't be too tough to pick up. You'll learn some tricks along the way, and probably won't do more advanced stuff for a good while.
Also go to your local library and find a book about bike mechanics, or get one at a bike shop (bike shops usually have a small section of bike-related books).
>>942765
considered** sorry
Being a bike mechanic is very hands on, and going about figuring out a problem on your own is the best way to learn and commit it to memory.
>>942755
>What is the best way to increase my knowledge on bicycle mechanics (youtube channels, books, DIY projects all welcome)?
READ
THE FUCKING
MANUAL
anyone that claims bike mechs have some kind of mystical a priori knowledge is a idiot and can be summarily ignored
so step one is to
R E A D T H E F U C K I N G M A N U A L
T
F
M
and step two is to put your fancy book learnin' from THE FUCKING MANUAL into practice so that you can git gud.
TO REVIEW
>step 1 is RTFM
>step 2 is PRACTICE
there isn't a step 3.
>>942767
There is a step 1.5, which is asking someone smarter than you after you READ THE FUCKING MANUAL and you've tried and failed once.
>>942765
>rj thebikeguy
My nigga
>>942765
Thanks a lot, man.
I sheepishly purchased Zinn's road bike guide. Will look into those channels.
Thankfully the mechanics are happily answering my questions and helping me as I move along. I'll probably mess around with my commuter to familiarize myself.
>>942758
>You cant just learn things! It's way too much work!
>you're a big cog
>BIKEMAN4UUUUUUUUUU
Bikes are easy, especially with all the info out there on the internet. Most things on a bike are pretty basic and any idiot can fix a bike if they have the right tools. There is a reason bike mechanics make $14/hr.
Easiest way is to buy a shitty used bike ( very cheap) and do some stuff . wheels , reattach them etc etc
>>942856
Dont underestimate idiots.
Ive seen countless idiots trying to adjust their handlebar height by loosening or tightening their headset cone and or locknut(quill stem)
Thos is just one of the MANY fuck ups that normies do to their bike reeee
>>942755
Got a shit bike for free. Took it apart and put it back together fucking a lot up but learning too all while watching RJ. Applied lessons to non shit bike and made improvements with little to no fuck ups.
Amateur bike mech status achieved.
>>942755
1. seriously read up on sheldon brown's website. familiarize yourself with all of the components that go into a bicycle, common varieties, their standard sizing, and how they fit together. learn all of the terminology you can, too, so that you will better understand the techs/other people when they discuss problems with a bike and what needs to be done.
2. watch people do stuff on youtube. i guarantee that youtube is responsible for at least half of all of /n/'s bicycle repair/building/maintenance knowledge, and the channels that >>942765
recommended are good places to start.
3. if possible, hang out with other people who like cycling/who work on their own bikes and ask them shit. this might seem obvious, but i think a lot of people are impeded in their learning because they're just too afraid to ask the "dumb questions" they have. i have had some great times just hanging out, drinking beer and working on my bike with friends who know more than i do.
>>942755
http://sheldonbrown.com/
just go through the glossary
http://www.parktool.com/
every tool has an article on how to use it
>>943159
>http://sheldonbrown.com/
completely disgusting, stop posting this site
Study and learn as you go. Ask questions.
It's a bike, not a goddamm space shuttle, so don't worry.
>>942767
and what about the people, who have to think about which way you loosen a nut or can fuck up even the easiest repair ? I know some, and they can't be learned or taught, they are beyond repair...
>>943208
Give them a set of wrenches attached to the wires from an electric fence, and a shitty bike. Chain them to a post and force them to work. Then every time they screw up you electrocute them.
>>943167
Are you retarded?
Sheldon Brown was a God among men, and it's good people are still sharing his site (regardless of how ancient the design).
>>942755
working on my old MBT by replacing a lot of parts
>>943208
>and what about the people, who have to think about which way you loosen a nut
A good bike mechanic should do this though.
>tfw bike mechanic strips shit because he is shit and forgot which way to loosen
>>942755
Take a repair class at your local bike co-op
>>942755
You lucky bastard
>>943300
Web 2.0 loving queero detected
>>943208
>B0ss uses one of pic related
>clamps in one of thinwalled flath-ish toptube giant bikes
>hollowtech 2 bb needs to be replaced(he calls it octalink...)
>puts his full weight of his scrawny body on a aprox. 40cm wrench(bb was stuck)
>"ey B0ss,maybe you put the bike on the the ground,this is pretty taxing on your stand and those frames are pretty delicate"
>Get ignored
>he finally removed it
>installs new one without grease or torque wrench(which is fucked anyway,he dindt understand what it was and its been sitting at 40Nm for 3 years now I suppose)
>takes it out of the stand
>I point at the huge FUCKING dent and flattened area exactly where it was clamped on.
>>>>hurrr maybe it was that way before we repaired it ;)
>slides frame sleeve protector thingy over it
>I die a bit inside for working with fool
>mfw he did it again a few days ago,but the (steel)frame survived
Mind you this is supposed to be a ""professional"" bike mechanic
I have lots of stories like this
>>946462
Its literally 5AM here so huge language fuckups are imminent.
>>946462
You need to quit working there, then name and shame that fucker for damaging customer bikes, that's completely inexcusable.
>>942755
was a car mechanic, and raced honda's at a local now closed drag strip for a good decade
graduated college, was fat needed to lose weight and bikes are way less complicated than cars
but the people who are into bikes are exponentially less wealthy for some reason
it's usually teenagers doing shit the wrong way, with duct tape and the wrong tools (plumbing wrenches on axle nuts and removing bottom bracket cubs with vice grips etc
>>946477
i also am a certified GTAW welder, but i don't weld frames since it's usually cheaper to buy a new one than to jig everything up and make sure it's straight
that and my $3500 miller welder takes about $20 to operate for an hour, and i don't keep argon around my house.....so that's a trip to the welding supply store
>>946462
torque wrenches can be recalibrated, they're not trash for sitting around under spring weight
i've rebuilt motors with my snap-on one and get it recalibrated after a new motor build or so....
you work on a pedal machine, it doesn't have to be as precise as a crankshaft bearing cap, or headstuds on a forced induction motor....you install fancy shiny parts into a bike it's cool
>>946481
Im aware torque wrenches can be recalibrated,not that my boss will ever do it though.
And the way he(quite literally) throws it around I doubt it will be worth it.
The lines that you use to set it to the desired torque are never properly aligned too,suspecting it has been mended improperly.
As far "not needing a torque wrench for a pedalbike"I agree with you(esp. on shittier bikes),but it was literally within an arms reach and for our shop it was a bretty nice bike.
Its a facom wrench which is a nice brand,id lose my shit if he pulled that shit with a snap-on
>>946494
harbor freight sells tq wrenches for $9.99 which are way the fuck more accurate than needs to be for some bikes
honestly though if you're wrenching long enough the "feel" is close enough for a bike.
i mean these things really aren't complicated it's some bearings and some cables
anyone who tells you you need $100k in tools and 30 years wrenching on bikes is selling you snake oil
and a $10,000 bike vs a $50 bike both should be wrenched on equally
what i find hilarious about newbies and/or extremely poors is that they treat super high end shit as if it were gold and made of glass....
like i used to work on a few used maseratis and the kids who trained under me at the dealership were like afraid of the cars
if you treat a "nice bike" as if it were the holy grail you'll fail to do your job and diagnose shit proeprly
>>942755
Get some used bikes to work on, tear them down to rebuild them. That's what I'm doing now.
>>946559
Your long ass posts with your obnoxious authoritative tone are really insufferable. Can ANYONE say they actually enjoy reading what this guy writes?
>>946559
>Hb has 10bux tq wrenches
FUCKING LOW USA PRICES
I don't have a bike. I just like chicks with nice legs
>>946582
so... are you gonna keep posting this photo over the board, isn't?
>>946576
It's not even long. Its just
full
of random
vertical
whitespace
for
absolutely no
reason
at all and
we should probably have
a filter for this type of idiocy
because the post written in this
manner is invariably filled
with bullshit, incompetence and
concentrated, military grade stupid.
Why would you even think writing like this is a
good idea? Trolling
that's why.
>>946576
It's fuckign sieg mate... he's like that on any fucking board he posts on.
You're either going to have to ignore his writing style since he's not an idiot and posts good shit or just ignore him completely.
This shit will eat you up inside.
>>946680
>since he's not an idiot and posts good shit
>>946462
>No space between the number and the unit symbol
>Not indicating multiplication of unit symbols with either a space or a half-high (centred) dot
Please re-read the SI Brochure
>>949598
You'll die a virgin and even your mother thinks it can't happen soon enough. You're a burden on everyone around you. An exit tent is cheap, painless and poses no risk to anyone else. Drape a tarp over your bed to make the clean-up easier.
Sheldon Brown
Park Tool Repair Blog
Practice
>>942851
>>you're a big cog
More like a big DOWNTUBE
>>949623
Shut your fuck downtube
>>949616
Perfect compliance with the proper use of SI units, prefixes and unit symbols as prescribed by the SI Brochure can't happen soon enough. I intend to do my utmost to bring that about for as long as is necessary.
>>949621
This. Also, lots of google.
The biggest obstacle is tools, in my opinion. They can be costly but are always worth the investment. As you get deeper into the hobby it's pretty easy to justify tool purchases and soon you'll find that the joy of working on your own bicycle trumps your hesitation. If cost is an issue, there are always alternative routes such as community shops and DIY tools. A good example of a DIY tool would be the Park Tool headset press and a DIY threaded rod + washer rig.
>>943855
Dunno how you are, but I don't think twice about how loosen or tighten a nut. And so should be every technician/mechanic. You either have it or don't.
>>950716
>think twice is the same as think once
People who don't think about which way to loosen things are the kind of people that strip BBs
