Thread started by Noble Experiment at 04.1.09 - 10:39 am

I miss my bike (two bikes) because I tried to fix my loose spoke in the back of my trek and on the back of my singlespeed and I've been like bikeless for two weeks now and suffering from bike anxiety withdrawals because I tried to fix my own loose spokes and didn't realize I bent my back rims in three ways to the point where my bike became unrideable and it's now in a shop for two weeks thanks to my workmanship that would make Tim "the toolman" Taylor proud.

So any tips for me to fix my spokes in the near future so that I don't fuck up badly like I did?

reply

depending where you live, take it to the bicycle kitchen and/or the bikerowave....

they'll help you not eff up.



Aqueous Atom
04.1.09 - 10:54 am

reply

...learn from someone who knows how to true a wheel?

there's no reason that should take 2 weeks, your shop is just lazy.
Get your bike back, borrow a wheel from someone, they don't need the whole thing just to true a wheel.



FuzzBeast
04.1.09 - 11:06 am

reply

to continue:
On one of the early Robotz rides Matt and I trued U-lock Andrew's front wheel from folded near in half back to rideable, ON the ride. With no truing stand, using only the fork as a guide.

Go get your bike, tell the shop, sorry guys, thanks but no thanks, and go find someone who can help you.
Seriously. If a shop EVER tells you two weeks for anythingg, it's bullshit.
It only takes an hour and a half for a competent mechanic to BUILD a wheel, arguably the MOST complex operation on a bicycle. Shit, it only took me 4 hrs to build the FRAME on Billy. Plus one of the co-ops will have a much smaller bill.




FuzzBeast
04.1.09 - 11:13 am

reply

What Fuzzbeast said.



imachynna
04.1.09 - 11:16 am

reply

i highly recommend you take it to a co-op and do it yourself. a project like this is great to learn on.

BUT if you don't want to do it yourself, dont take it to that shop. they obviously have more work than they can handle and dont need your business. if you live on the westside, i've heard great things about the bicycle shop/christian bookstore on sepulveda north of culver. they charge $10 with quick turnaround.



tortuga_veloce
04.1.09 - 11:24 am

reply

My bike's at the carson schwinn fuzzbeast, and they're within walking distance of my place so I've been very chill with them and I know the owner of the place very well since I go there to buy my bike parts. Two weeks seem odd though but I guess I really did tweak my bike rims that bad to have the rims replaced while I was out of town last week with my gf at Modena, Reggio nell'Emilia and Parma, Italy (man I want to ride my bike through Italy one day). But I tweaked my spokes too tight to the point where I pretty much fucked it up badly.



Noble Experiment
04.1.09 - 11:32 am

reply

2 weeks, sounds like the shit shop I have to deal with up here, and worse when they tell you to buy an entire, new wheel for that sort of thing.
Me, I just use the brake pads as a guide and run it that way.



bentstrider
04.1.09 - 11:33 am

reply

Also, I'll have to go to Bikerowave soon whenever a SMCM or VCM comes soon.



Noble Experiment
04.1.09 - 11:34 am

reply

Even if the shop's cool with you, it's not worth it. Seriously.
If you overtightened the spokes, as long as you didn't crack the rim, it's like a 10 minute job, with a stand, maybe a bit longer otherwise.
Take it somewhere else. This doesn't mean don't ever go back to the shop, it just means take it somewhere else for this repair.
If you did crack the rim, then you need to rebuild it, which could take longer, then I'd say whatever, it's up to you.
Seriously, there's no reason to be without a bike.




FuzzBeast
04.1.09 - 11:41 am

reply

Unless your completely broke. Actually scratch that cause even homeless people ride. Which is cool.



Alfredo
04.1.09 - 11:53 am

reply