Adam Savage's One Day Builds: Vintage Bicycle Restoration!

[@tested]

What MythBusters moment stands out to you in the series? Watch MythBusters on Discovery Plus: discoveryplus.com/

[@lasarith2]

I was just watching a video on carbon fibre release molds, and the presenter said - Polypropylene sheet has self releasing properties, no release agent needed for it , ( he still put release agent on the prop) but I thought Adam might like to at lest try it for say silicone/ his props (Test)

[@MrAcuta73]

The day you blew up the cement truck and it just....disappeared. That still leaves my jaw hanging. My favorite bit will always be the frozen chicken air gun on the airplane bird strike episode. I laughed for hours over that for some reason.

[@t.j.lemaster8653]

When you guys blew up that Impala lowrider that had so much potential.... That episode almost brought tears to my eyes!😔 a 60's or 70's Impala has always then one of my dream cars!

[@rpratts1]

Please done more bike builds. Please list the sprays you used!

[@TheLostSorcerer]

Hot Water Tank Rocket. Also the eyebrows...

[@parktool]

What fun! Really enjoyable hearing about your history with bicycle maintenance. If you ever feel like tackling those bearings and need some tips, give us a shout!

[@josephawatson]

That would be fun to see a collaboration between you all and Adam.

[@elliottconely1146]

THIS IS THE COLLAB I NEED

[@amechanicalengineer4088]

Agreed, this would be such a fun collaboration

[@bujang3022]

Collab i didnt knew i needed.

[@tested]

Woot! Thank you!

[@spencerkormos1500]

8:31: "Why is there a whole bunch of rubber wrapped around this part?" 28:48: See Adam use electrical tape to replace the rubber that was wrapped around the front axel used to protect the inner tube... 15 years from now: "Why is there a whole bunch electrical tape wrapped around this part?"

[@darksunrise957]

I did not even make that connection. I don't imagine HOW that piece of rubber would get out of the wheel in the first place, but now I'm convinced that's what happened. XD

[@Spiralem]

I just watched someone serviced my bicycle inner tube, they do put that strip of rubber in.

[@spencerkormos1500]

@@darksunrise957 Yeah, and I immediately thought "how long has that actually been in there?" :-D

[@mattdeblassmusic]

So, if a bike sits long enough, the tires will go flat, because inner tubes are basically like balloons that do bleed air very slowly over time. That rubber piece (called a rim strip) sometimes dry rots and breaks, and when the tire is deflated from sitting can escape out the side, and if the owner moves the bike around with the tire flat, it can escape out the side and get wrapped around the axle. When I used to work in a bike shop, we'd see that exact thing a lot on old bikes that had been sitting in a garage or shed for years. And we'd also see plenty of electrical tape, for just that reason! It works fine except on really high pressure tires.

[@digitalrailroader]

@@mattdeblassmusic and really, the rim tape is there to protect the tube from rubbing through on the spoke nipples (yes, that IS what they are called!)

[@mattdeblassmusic]

I worked as a bicycle mechanic for about a decade-and-a-half, it was fun to watch Adam figuring it out. My favorite totally random bit of bicycle trivia: the left (ie non-drive side) pedal is reverse threaded, which helps keep it from unscrewing itself. That particular innovation was introduced by the Wright Brothers, who went on to some other transportation-related accomplishments.

[@bradstapleton2041]

They did claim that. It's not true. The Wright Brothers released their "Pedal that can't come unscrewed" in 1900. Union Cycle Co. first patented left hand pedal threads in 1893.

[@mattdeblassmusic]

@@bradstapleton2041 damn, I was using that bit as a throw-away line when I taught repair classes for YEARS! Fortunately, I'm pretty sure my actual repair lessons were more accurate than my trivia!

[@ryanparker4996]

I had a friend who got a bike delivered in a box and he had to install the pedals himself. He did not know this 😂 they had a significant slant shape aswell so it was super obvious to a bike guy that he had indeed installed his pedals backwards. Quite how he manages to screw through those threads is beyond me but he god damn did it 😂 I never managed to get them back out for him. It was totally fubar'd

[@mattdeblassmusic]

@@ryanparker4996 That happens more often that you'd believe. Sometimes, with department store bikes, I've seen them come that way off the shelf. That's rare, but explaining to someone with limited funds that their bike was wrecked before they even bought it was never fun.

[@alexythemechanic8056]

It was fun, but I do now understand the frustrations of the carpenters and machinists who watch the channel. At a couple of parts, I'm thinking, "Man, there are about 5 better ways to do that!"

[@theplotdragon]

Adam has always been a huge inspiration for me, not only by getting me excited about making and learning, but also about just being the best version of myself I can be. His genuine kindness and pure excitement combined with how incredibly motivating and appreciative he is about the things other people have made and want to show him. I hope he knows just how much of an amazing force of good he is to those that are afraid of making mistakes, or are nervous about trying new things. Stay awesome Adam, you make the world so much more exciting by simply being in it!

[@lilliewilliams4609]

“Bicycle repairman for the apocalypse” is the newest tested shirt I need. Just saying. I’d wear the shirt outta that.

[@mbpotato0457]

I love this idea

[@pauljones2759]

I had the same reaction.

[@ryancappo]

Apocalypse Bicycle Repairman would be a shirt I would wear.

[@nicklang7670]

I really liked the saying too.

[@VAXHeadroom]

I laughed really hard at that!!

[@MrGlennJohnsen]

Kari and Scottie's ironic encouragement of Tory, saying he could "totally clear the jump", is amongst my fondest "goof memories" of Mythbusters. Tory showing off, the ladies creating chaos ...the rest is history!

[@aarondavis5386]

Honestly I found that sickening, betraying someone's trust in a situation where they could be seriously injured is absolutely unacceptable. If that's not why Scotty left the show it damn well should've been.

[@intent2modulate]

@@aarondavis5386 It wasn't a good idea to egg him on, but he made the choice to try it, and he bears the responsibility. I also think he would've tried it even if they'd said he couldn't do it. Leaving the show over that would've been, in my opinion, a huge overreaction.

[@MrGlennJohnsen]

@@aarondavis5386 I agree, to a point, but when someone shows off like Tory did and then tries to go "above and beyond" …well, they’re kinda asking for trouble. We’ve all been there, perhaps. Having a good time doing something fun, then we get cocky and try to do something risky only to end up bruised and bloody. When I first learned to ride a bicycle I tried showing off by riding through the forest path as fast as I could, I was maybe 7 years old. I ended up losing control, went off path (or is it off-road?) and crashed wheel first into a massive tree. The bicycle stopped instantly, I didnt. I got thrusted, groin first, onto/into the steering column of my bicycle. It’s perhaps the earliest memory of "pain so bad I thought I was dying", I ended up in the ER because my parents thought my testicle(s) might’ve been crushed. I’ve been told that my groin was so many shades of green, yellow and purple that it looked like some dystopian Aurora Borealis. What did I learn from that experience? Don’t be a showoff-idiot on a bicycle.

[@scoobertmcruppert2915]

@@aarondavis5386 Lmao Calm down sport.

[@cynthiaklenk6313]

@@scoobertmcruppert2915 Yup, As they say.... "Thats show biz folks!"

[@faucody]

I would gladly pay for literally just a weekly story time with Adam. The way he uses his words to tell a story is amazing

[@AndreSB43]

His book is available as an audio book, read by himself.

[@ianmangham4570]

❄

[@seeteasea5497]

The best thing about Adam Savage is that his story could have started with “I had this beautiful French racing bike that I used to race around New York….” But he didn’t, he started with such an unnecessary detail and I am here for that. Love it

[@LacticAcid672]

I bought an 1970s Motobecane road bike last summer for a future project - they really are beautiful bikes!

[@therealandyconda]

as someone who does this for a living, it's really cool to see Adam take a stab at wrenching on a bike. it's a clean piece as well!

[@loud479]

Beat me to it i process second hand donations for a live and it can be a right challenge

[@Andramelach]

Same haha. It's nice to see a steel frame like that in good condition. He did more than I see most amateur mechanics do, and the scotch brite was a nice touch.

[@TheMyeloman]

Was the Armor-All on the tires not a terrible idea though??? That’s going to make them terribly slippery and cornering extremely dangerous. I’ve talked to people who’ve done that and wiped out, it didn’t look pretty…

[@therealandyconda]

@@TheMyeloman I don't agree with it and wouldn't recommend, but I don't think this bike is gonna be used for anything too intense. For looks/display piece purposes it's fine.

[@VraiHommeAjay]

@@loud479 found the bike punk. Y’all rule

[@allisonmichelle92]

I am totally not a maker in this sense. However, I can’t get enough of Adam’s one day builds. His enthusiasm with everything he does is so infectious. Like a little kid on Christmas morning! The length is also wonderful for playing in the background whilst I work or write! Keep on keeping on, Adam!

[@spacepiratecaptainrush1237]

I think one of the best things I've gained from watching and listening to Adam is permission to say "Good enough" I've internalized Adam's voice saying "is it prefect? no, but it doesn't need to be."

[@christophergodbout367]

Great video. As a former professional bicycle mechanic at a busy urban bike shop, It brought back a lot of memories. A few things... 1. Yes, people frequently use electrical tape as a DIY rim strip. It protects the tube but the downside is the sticky, gooey black residue it leaves behind when left on for a long time. (of which I'm sure you're familiar) 2. The hop in the wheel could be caused by the tire not being seated evenly on the rim. It's a common issue with the big baloony type tires. If not fully seated, the tire can pop off and blow unexpectedly. A sound every full time bike mechanic is intimately familiar with. However, judging by the loose and bent spokes, your instinct is probably correct. It's probably the wheel. 3. The play in the chainring is most likely caused by a loose retaining ring/ bearing race on the drive side of the one-piece crank. You have to remove the entire crank and tighten it down with a spanner. 4. The side to side play in the wheel can most likely be fixed by proberly adjusting the hub. Thanks for the ride down Remember Street.

[@jimvandemoter6961]

When you talk about building/fixing your own bicycle and the satisfaction I understand perfectly. It's how I felt the first time I made my own electric guitar cable. Since then I built and wired well over a hundred guitars. Right now my main electric guitar was made with Warmoth body and neck, DiMarzio pickups, the best potentiometers and jacks I can find. If I had to pay someone else to custom build this guitar for me I'd expect to pay well over $2000.00. As it is I spent less than a third and I have a complete custom guitar. I just had to do the work myself.

[@singer3188]

I lived in Indianapolis from my early teen years until i was 32 and used a bicycle as my only means of transportation. I always feel like I'm too comfortable and isolated from the road in cars and have always loved cycling. There is something kind of magical slowing down and really absorbing the scenery around you. All that being said I have put more miles on a bicycle in a year than a lot of people do in a lifetime and I have absolutely used electrical tape as a rim liner when I didn't have anything else on hand. Lasted multiple tube changes and works just as well as a the liner you buy in the store in my opinion. Even with the relatively quick clean you did here that bike is a beauty. I've always had a soft spot for old steel and chromoly frames Cheers!

[@djalgoriddim]

36:44 we always used hairspray to put the grips on. Slippery when wet and sticky once dried! This was taking me back to all the bikes I'd dig out of the trash and rebuild as a kid.

[@pratajeff]

Bike repair is a great skill to learn. It's been 30 since I bought a "new" bike. My current gravel bike and my kids mountain and road bikes where all built from what we can find on Craigslist and at the local bike co-op. Stripping frames and repainting them and finding and upgrading parts were great projects to do with the kids. They appreciate the bike more when they know they had a hand in building it.

[@kath121]

I love hearing your history with bicycle mechanics! I started as a kid following along in my brothers' footsteps. They were making BMX bikes out of whatever they could find around. Then the older of the two started building 10 speeds. I asked my Dad for a 10 speed for Christmas and he said no. I solicited the help of another older brother who helped me to build my own out of parts in the garage. That was the beginning of my bike tinkering...which I still do until this day! I have a 1975 Schwinn 3 speed and a mountain bike I found on a garbage pile that I've restored. My next project is my Mom's 1968 Western Flyer...a labor of love, as my mom passed in 2016 and my sister who it originally belonged to passed at the beginning of this year. Cancer sucks, FYI.

[@quintinsmits]

This takes me back! My first job was as a mechanic in a bike shop, after school and on Saturday (basically everyone on my fathers side of the family is or has been a member of a race cycling-club in Amsterdam going back to the 1930s, we all fixed our own bikes).

[@jasonhollmann4757]

i can't believe i watched 40 minutes of adam savage fix a bike up... i wish it was a few hours. i love watching these.

[@markusseppala6547]

Few of my favorite things, bicycles and Adam Savage. What a treat.

[@xpndblhero5170]

Having a bicycle as a kid who was very eager to learn was a bad thing but also a good thing, the day I got my hands on my new bike it was in pieces and I was obsessed w/ trying to figure out how everything worked, I also did that w/ my VCR and my game consoles and my mom couldn't believe I disassembled and reassembled them w/o instructions.... So basically getting a bike and constantly doing repairs or mods gave me an insight into the way things worked and that followed me through life, even as an adult today I can take something I've never touched before and completely tear it apart and put it back together. I'd advise people to get into doing the same thing because it gives you a good understanding of how things work and if you have an eidetic memory it's a good exercise for picturing how things come apart and go back together... I remember seeing other people's bikes and I was able to diagnose a problem w/o touching it because of my memory, having a bike can teach you a lot once you understand how they work. Edit: 17:15 - Wow, look at how high those spoke nipples are on that rim... I'm guessing it's a single wall rim because they're not made like that anymore. LoL

[@adriansue8955]

32:40 Out of Round Its the Tire that's not seated evenly onto the Rim not the Rim itself being out of round. possible tire casing damage, note the change in width (side to side) as well.

[@nutwiss]

Yes!!! Glad someone spotted this. Adam - a rim with a bit of hop is annoying, but a barely seated tyre is dangerous.

[@davidfairhurst9201]

I spotted this too.

[@kencoxdesign]

A little soapy water on the tire bead, and inflating it initially to its max pressure helps the bead seat properly on the rim. Often makes a loud pop when it finally settles into place. How difficult this is depends on the tolerances of the rims and tires, shape of the bead and rim, and a bunch of other factors. I have tire/rim combinations that go on without tools, and ones that require tire levers, soapy water, and a lot of grunting to get seated. The skinny road tires are often the worst, but I've got some tubeless mountain bike tires that have also given me a workout.

[@alexstarr1589]

Yeah I thought that might be the problem too. As Ken mentions, you can use soapy water to try to help it seat. But also make sure that your inner tube hasn't been pinched between the tire and the rim before you inflate it! I've made that mistake before...it really sucks to ruin a brand new tube!

[@ryanparker4996]

Theyve probably been sat for a while at low pressure and ended up retaining the squash shape. He needs to pump the tyres to max PSi, that should atleast start to correct it

[@kencoxdesign]

My first bike was also a Motobecane. We lived just outside Lyon France in 1975 and I was 5 years old. Most of the bikes in the shop were all very utilitarian, and we left with a bike that included a rear cargo rack with a functional little tool kit hanging off the back. This was a bike meant for pedaling to school or to the store, and the sturdy steel frame survived all my abuse, and the gorilla-like movers who packed all our stuff to be shipped back to the states. Unfortunately, it did not survive being backed over by my mom's Chevy Malibu station wagon in 1979. These days, my garage is filled with bikes for me and my family, and there's always one in the repair stand. Adam, I hope you get a chance to take a look at some of the modern bike tech out there. Hydraulic disc brakes are becoming pretty standard. Electronic servo-actuated shifting, and some really efficient and effective suspension systems are pretty amazing. Then, there's the eBikes, though I'm personally not ready to cross the human-powered line | partially human-powered line. You should visit a bike shop and ask to test ride their most expensive model. Oh, and ALWAYS with the helmet!

[@ramonwilts]

Being Dutch I think an orange bike is one the most beautifull things in the world. I had one when I delivered mail. It also had orange saddle bags for the mail. I like all your videos Adam! You are a TV legend and I learn a lot from you. Mostly about being a nice person, because I do not build myself. I admire your skills and love your character. Love from Holland.

[@shooterdotnet]

Many years ago, after much thinking and evaluating and vacillating, I bought a Park portable Bike Work Stand. Holy moly!! it made it so incredibly easy to work on my and other folks bikes.A fairly expensive tool that has served me well for a couple of decades now. I'm super glad I sprung for it.

[@M6Props]

I found myself nodding along when you said "Truing is a dark art..." So very true! It's great to see you wrenching on an old bike.

[@OscarSommerbo]

As a child of the 70s and 80s, I think most of our first mechanical knowledge came from tinkering with our bikes.

[@thequietcraftsman]

I just finished a let's say light restoration of my grandmothers 1981 Schwinn World Tourist. Repacked all the bearings. New tubes, tires, chain, brakes and shifter cable. Cleaned up the chrome where I could. And by far the best thing about it is the 1980s Cleveland bicycle license plate on the chain guard.

[@Retro_Flutter]

As an avid vintage bike restorer/collector, If I could have a piece of Mythbuster's history, this bike would be one of them.

[@K0Kaz]

I refreshed a used bike for a friend a couple of years ago and it was rewarding, and brought back childhood memories as well. I would've repacked the bearings here like I did on that bike; i think it's far easier than truing a wheel.

[@cptjeff1]

Zero question on that one. Repacking bearings is easy, truing wheels is black magic.

[@warlockcommandcenter]

Adam I love bike rebuilds this warms my heart in back in 1996-97 I was driving truck in LA Ca. I would regularly collect cans from the roll-off in the drop lots one day found a full bag of cans, an electric cooler, and trek mountain bike without Handel bars. So I pulled it all out and loaded it in to my tractor. Fixed up the bike and still have the cooler ran and I used it for work, the cans were recycled I was clearing an extra $50 a week in can money.

[@spades1080]

It always amazes me how many times it looks like Adam is mad at the piece he is working on. This bike project is a classic example of this. I think it's really just the speed at which he works, but there are times when it just cracks me up.

[@Riwaden]

Bikes were my springboard into dismantling and reassembling anything. I do own at least 4 repair kits and it started me getting into repairing my own vehicle. Every component you look at can be isolated and without too much effort you can see how adjusting one screw or spoke affects the wheel alignment, or the gear shifter. You can do it relatively cheap and once you have done it you can feel the difference it makes when riding and get a real sense of achievement. As a result my garage as a kid was full of salvaged bike parts that me and my brothers picked up or bought with pocket money and first job wages. Fixing a flat is one of the first things I taught my kids when the learned to ride and I am sure its what they would do when they have kids learning to ride as well.

[@TonyOriolo]

I'm not the bicycle mechanic you want for the race I'm the bicycle mechanic you want for the apocalypse - Adam Savage

[@travisb.959]

Really loved hearing the origin story of this iconic bicycle! I agree when you make repairs to your car & then drive it, that feeling is SOOOOOOOOO SATISFYING!!!

[@JohnLobbanCreative]

Nice to see a bicycle restoration. I remember that episode!

[@calebmills7086]

you make no sense bud

[@waxercar]

@@calebmills7086 perfect sense "nice to see a bicycle restoration." Self-explanatory. "I remember that episode!" Adam references an episode of myth busters that the bicycle featured in....

[@mattbaumgart3621]

My dad worked in a bike shop as a kid and also owned his own bike shop in the mid-90's. His garage was filled with equipment (including a truing stand) and parts when I was growing up. He repaired and maintained the bikes for all my friends in the neighborhood and has a penny farthing in the basement from when someone brought it for repair and then never came back to get it. Thanks for the amazing walk down memory lane!

[@xmetal280]

I laughed very hard when you realized that electrical tape works just fine as the rim strip instead of all the hard work to cut that tube. I’ve done that same thing long ago. 😅

[@Starnger]

Also most inner tubes would just rip along the seam if you pull them ;)

[@01FozzyS]

Well done on the quick refurb,Adam. And like you, I've been tinkering and riding bikes since I was a kid. Now at 58 still doing the same. Have amassed a collection of 80's and 90's mountain bikes and road bikes. I do all the maintenance and rebuilds myself. Still riding a lot here in the Bay Area. Trueing is my biggest weakness. No patience. lol

[@microbuilder]

I spent my entire childhood on a bike, and distinctly remember my first attempt at tightening the spokes...those rims had more wobbles than a drunk on a boat! I also remember Tori going A over T in that episode, still funny lol

[@notinmanitou]

0h the memories you brought back! In 1970, I bought my Schwinn 10 speed with my earnings from my 90 cents an hour job at Dairy Queen. I spent many hours with my bike upside down on our porch cleaning and polishing it. It was that beautiful 1970's orange. Great memories! Thanks for this video, Adam.

[@MorningDusk7734]

Adam, you would be my first pick for just about any team in the apocalypse.

[@TSKseattle]

My first bike beyond the 20" was a Motebecane Astre 10-speed. Although mechanically minded, I really learned to work on it by cleaning it - taking it apart to get everything clean and trying to get it all back together (tip - never disassemble a freewheel to clean it). For my first career I worked in a bike shop, later as manager, and have been hobby repairing ever since. I still have a bike repair shop in my back yard. Some notes: (My opinions of course) * The rubber around the front axel is the rim strip between the tube and rim, which broke and came out when the tire went dead flat. 19:34 shows the rear strip. Electrical tape is much better than your cut up tube (too thick) * Your chain has a master link, which makes it easy to pop off and set aside or soak in lightweight machine oil. * The crank sprocket is rotation locked by the pin on the crank arm, but it's loose because the "fixed" bearing cone is loose. Take off the left pedal (left hand thread) take off the lock nut and cone on the left side, snake the crank arm out and put the right cone in a vise and turn the crank to tighten. * Clamp the brake arm strap loosely before centering the wheel and tightening the axel nuts to keep the arm from rotating. That arm is connected to the left side bearing cone. * Wheel truing is an art. It is about balancing the force of all spokes and if you tighten one place you loosen the opposite. For your cruiser just get them all the same tension and aim for rough side-to-side or roundness (you won't notice) * Nope, there should be no "tolerance" in the rear axel (or any bearing). With the wheel off jam the break arm jam nut down, then on the sprocket side you need a thin cone wrench to adjust the cone while tightening the outer jam nut. No axel rattle, no binding.

[@SteveCooling60]

Bicycle repair is a gateway to a wonderful world of making 👍

[@jcollif]

Adam, last spring I paid a bike shop to restore the first bike I ever purchased on my own (with my paper-route money) in 1986. Riding that bike through my neighborhood as a 50 year old man.....was an absolute thrill. It took me right back to 1986!

[@mothman4676]

Adam you are the GOAT. That crust on the chrome is extremely easy to remove with Coke and aluminum foil. I was cleaning my vintage 85 huffy sigma when I tried it. It’s like witchcraft 😂

[@Nate_Cross]

I was going to add this to the comment thread. It really does work better than it has a right to. Even water works great, no coke required.

[@countertony]

Wasn't that a mini-myth or something they confirmed a couple of years in - uses for Coke: cleaning chrome?

[@mothman4676]

@@countertony 😬…I didn’t see every episode. #embarrassed 😂

[@Starnger]

@@countertony in this particular case any liquid would do. I personally use wd-40, but even water is fine if you dry it afterwards. It is needed to collect the fine dust particles produced in the process.

[@jimnaden5594]

There is a product called Quick Glo that works wonders on rusty chrome, also adds a protective coating when finished.

[@wesdouglas95]

Feel like I've commented in the past that I would love to watch Adam do a bike build/restoration. I've waited forever for this!

[@morlamweb]

Adam Savage working on vintage bicycles? Dreams really CAN come true!

[@ravennexusmh]

fixing bikes is one of the best things you can do, i built my first bike when i was a kid. i've built every bike i've owen since them. my latest one is a "gravel" bike to be modern but with a larger tyred hybrid bike frame and fork that mostly uses MTB spacings for things. so it's running sram mtb carbon cranks but with a road spider and road chainrings. full shimano 105 6700 road group with a custom rear mech i've made from the 105 deraillier body and a T670 sgs long cage to allow a 11-36t cassette to be used. (much pouring over shimano PDF tech diagrams and cage photos to make sure that would work) and wide spacing braze on adapter to move the fornt mech out to match the mtb 47.5mm chainline instead of the road 42mm. 700cx47mm tyres and trp spyre dual piston cable brake calipers. it's a complete mix of things i've picked up used on ebay or other online markets.

[@frankpoulin7662]

Adam: "We're just 'less-dirtying' this" Me: "Perfect way to describe what I do to my house every week"

[@_Broomstick]

Balled-up aluminium foil quickly removes rust from chrome, and sort of polishes it as well. Thanks for the post Adam and Tested team!

[@Javierm0n0]

When i replaced the innertube on my bike a few months ago i took the old one and replaced the rubber strip covering the spoke ends. I forget what i used to keep the ends of the new strip together but its proven solid so far. I love working on bicycles it's so relaxing.

[@daveayerstdavies]

It's called 'rim tape' and yes you should replace it whenever you change the inner tube. In my experience many punctures (possibly most) are from spoke ends rather than tyre piercing.

[@billbucktube]

A fabulous illustration of, "We don't make how to do it videos. It's more like what happened videos." Leaving in the replacement of the rim liner, going from the inner tube to electrical tape. Excellent content!

[@davidsharp9166]

Adam, doing apocalypse repairs if something I'd happily watch. Where we give him basic old devices/machines etc and he repairs them.

[@frankierzucekjr]

This man is a national treasure. Keep him safe at all costs and I'd definitely want him around me if there was ever an apocalypse. He talks to himself like Tom Hanks talks to Wilson lol.

[@kulmajaba]

For me it was the movie "Premium Rush". As mediocre as it was it got me interested in fixies so I got myself an 80's road bike, stripped it down to bare metal and started working. That bike was stolen a few years ago but I'm not that sad because I put really bad cheap parts on it. I have a couple of bike builds that I'm still dreaming of.

[@lassej.nordvik163]

That was so much fun to watch! When I was younger I was an avid bicyclist if not a good one, and I enjoyed doing my own basic repair maintenance. I was never handy or mechanically gifted but fixing bikes I could do and it was very gratifying. Also, I have always been a very cautious and timid fellow and going like the proverbial bat out of Hell on my bike is amongst my precious few memories of once having been young and foolish. It’s amazing I never killed myself!😁

[@kenwalker5384]

I've been using insulation tape to cover spoke ends for years, never had a single problem.

[@criggie]

Even paper or masking tape works well, just need about 3 layers of it, and it doesn't "walk" like the plastic tape sometimes can.

[@javierRC82857]

Some use gorilla tape to install tubeless tires

[@piy3602]

28:45 This is 100% something people do. Love to see people encouraging people to learn how to take care of their bikes. You don't need specialized tools for the basics and even some parts, like rim tape, can be improvised without any real drawback. For everything else, there is your local bike shop.

[@gibbonduder182]

THIS! As a young teen I got my 1st bike, and it gave me independance. My uncle owned a bike shop so at the start I'd ask him to fix it, until after the 2nd time I asked him to teach me how to fix it myself. From then on, I've always maintained my own bikes.

[@Engitainment]

This definitely made me feel like I could competently handle small bike repair. Once I figure out my knee maladies, the bike in my livingroom's getting a full overhaul!

[@onebackzach]

Bikes are a ton of fun to work on, and totally doable. If you're going to be doing a total overhaul or multiple bikes, a repair stand is totally worth it. It beats flipping the bike over and having to work stooped down.

[@mattdeblassmusic]

I worked as a bike mechanic for a lot of years, and one the things I always loved about bicycles is how accessible the technology is. Unless you're into the real high-performance end of the market, there's no "black box" tech, it's all stuff you can work on, most of it with just a few basic tools. I definitely recommend tinkering with your bike as you feel able (and hopefully your health permits soon!)

[@PhilOsGarage]

If you have knee problems, cycling and swimming are one of the best forms of exercise you can do, as they are non impact. The added bonus is that the strength gained and weight loss makes life easier on the knees day to day.

[@TwoHorndUnicorn]

I started working at a nonprofit bike repair shop about a year and a half ago, and most of the bikes that come through are from this era. It’s so cool to see Adam basically doing my job of fixing up old and busted bikes, back to a working state.

[@xtieburn]

I know Adam recommended a good dedicated tire changing tool, but honest to god Ive yet to find a tool that works better than the handles on a good couple of spoons... I dont have easily changed tires either, they have additional rubber protection to stop small punctures (because I ride everywhere and any puncture is a huge pain.) Really noticeably increases the amount of force you need. Spoons still win out. Something about the flat end that tapers down lets me get them in and then whip them to the side more easily to release the tire. (and some of the better tools Ive seen appear to largely just be imitations of spoon handles anyway.)

[@pizza3837]

Pedro’s tire levers thank me later

[@AnthonyNovelli3rd]

Let's hear it for Mr Tuffy!

[@MarshWaha]

Hey Adam, Marshall here Bicycle mechanic here been working on bikes since 2017. I’m a huge fan, I loved MythBusters! but that rubber that you just took off, that’s called a rim strip that helps protect the spokes from protruding into the tire tube or into the tire itself. Just thought you should know that. If you have questions, just let me know I’ll be happy to answer them.

[@Morbius907]

When I was a kid I would get a lot of punctures in my bike tires. After I ran out of the patch rubber I started using a hot glue gun. I would try to force some of the hot glue through the puncture to seal the tire. It worked really well.

[@tomalealso]

I had a bike very much like that in the early 60's that I used to deliver newspapers in the San Jose area. I was forever working on it because, delivering newspapers is hard on bikes, especially Sunday mornings when the newspaper is more than 150 pages plus a lot of advertising pages stuffed in the middle. it was my first exposure to all things mechanical. I still have several bikes and I still do all of my own servicing. thanks in part to Park tools. funny story, i was having trouble with the coaster brake on my bike and needed some parts I went to a nearby flee market and there was a guy there who had the parts but would not sell them to me because it was almost closing time. I convinced him that I could do it before He closed up , so in less than 15 minutes and I took the rear hub apart, replaced the broken parts and put the rear wheel back on the bike and rode the bike home. I think he ended up giving me the pars because he was so impressed. apparently those kind of skills are not very common, especially these days.

[@Blackout22442]

Now I have a sudden urge to go repair something...

[@Arcturuseyes]

"Zen and the Art of Bicycle Maintenance" those of you who get this reference, rock on.

[@DeadnCold]

Ok, now turn it into an E-bike. That open center of the frame just screams for a battery. And i can just imagine the cool battery box Adam could come up with.

[@wurstbroto]

21:52 You really creeped me out going into full Bob Ross Mode."Alright" You inspire me to go get after things and relax me at the same time, thats a rare gift.

[@basvanderwerff2725]

the out of round you see on the front is in the tire

[@messagedeleted1922]

Really glad Adam brought a bike onto the show. Bicycles really are one of the pinnacles of human engineering.

[@MrWoohuuw]

The out of round part is just the tire seated wrong. When adam spins the wheel at 33:32, you can clearly see the rim doesn't go up and down but the tire does.

[@ThomasBommarito]

Yup. All he needs to do is turn on his air compressor and the bead will pop right into place.

[@srtcsb]

Really miss working on bikes. It's been over 32 years since I was able to ride (left knee got injured, won't bend enough anymore). I used to tighten my caliper brakes so I had good stopping without a lot of slop (yay vise-grips!). To this day, just the aroma of a bike shop brings a flood of memories. Thanks for a great video Adam.

[@gamesman0118]

Adjustable wrenches? My mom would look at me with disappointment when I used them or vise-grip pliers. Rightly so because they can round the nuts or bolts. If you have the tools use a socket or box end wrench. On this project it's not a big deal as you may never do this again.

[@colingraham1065]

Smiled at your comment about ajustable spanners. Watch Wes Works on YT calls them Moscow micrometers!

[@lloydspendlove4114]

My boss when i was a plumbing apprentice used to call them disgustable spanners, wouldn't touch them

[@componenx]

As a kid I had two 6" crescent wrenches (the real ones), and never needed any fixed wrenches except for specialty types like cone wrenches. Good ones, used correctly, won't round nuts (I never did, anyway). If you're a southern shade tree mechanic named Bubba, all bets are off!

[@johnurbanek1027]

I started as a car mechanic before I tackled bikes, so it came easy to me, but I am disappointed he didn't do any of the bearings. I just finished cleaning up an old SR Alpine Sport from the 80s for a neighbor and I redid almost every bearing in it because it sat for 20 years, the only ones I didn't do were the ones in the jockey wheels of the rear derailleur. I even took the original pedals apart and repacked the bearing in those. I would say it only has a handful of miles on it since everything was in great shape, but the grease itself has hardened up into clumps. I got my dad's old 59' (according to his notes) Huffy cruiser bike road worthy again and the first thing I did was the bearings in the wheels and the coaster brake, and tires of course.

[@sveablu]

As the daughter of a civil engineer, that is my mind. Bikes are base line. They bring so much joy. I love riding and fixing them. Thanks for this!!!

[@jeremybrown3429]

Truing hack for you, Adam: put a zip tie on the seat-stay and angle it so the tip just touches the rim and serves as a guide.

[@classydays43]

Man, I used to do this for dumpster bikes. I'd find them discarded around the place, fix them up and donate them back in to the community. I'd love to do it again. There's something endearing about old, discarded bikes, that something forgotten and thrown away still has life and can bring joy to someone for many years still so long as it was given a little time to be reborn. Especially the cheaper bikes because they were never intended to last forever. The parts on cheap bikes age well for some reason.

[@MxBrock]

I attack and work through a project in the same manner as Adam (which makes sense since I grew up on MythBusters) however, I have no technical training or skills. This is how I learn to do things and I will always appreciate that Adam is my teacher for life.

[@hoxleyholesoap]

I was 15 in 1981 and my Dad bought the neighbors 1973 white Motobecane and it inspired me to race bicycles in College and introduced me to being my own bicycle mechanic. Your story was amazingly similar.

[@julianzacher161]

As an officially trained bicycle mechanic who uses hub gears to build his homemade retro-rayguns I really appreciate this vid. Hats off to Adam! Greetings from germany!

[@whynugs]

Wheels assembly is the most fun part of building a bicycle IMO, you need some strength, big-big patience, precision, some calculation and when it's done. you will be proud and admire your hard work

[@mysticwizard1943]

I JUST restored an old 60's era 3-speed Sears bike a few weeks ago I got off Craigslist for $30. It's Austrian made, made entirely out of steel, and has a coaster brake with internal gear system. It was just a fun distraction to keep me from going crazy while waiting for the weather to warm up, but I learned so much. Coaster brakes are brilliant little mechanisms - they've been around for over a hundred years and never really changed much. Oh and btw, the electrical tape to replace the rubber rim strips... I did the exact same thing lol

[@stevenb7319]

Breaking away had a huge impact on me as a kid. Repairing bikes is made beautiful and so satisfying in that movie. Thanks for the trip down memory lane Adam.

[@citizen..X]

Some of my happiest days were riding and fixing my BMX back in the 80's. I literally took everything apart just so I could clean and grease it.

[@wolfe1970]

This video took me back to 1981 when my friend gave me his old bike, i pushed it home and stripped it, cleaned it all up and put it back together, have great memory's of it, i was 10 at the time, i wonder how many 10 years olds could do that today....

[@tedfort1698]

Most of them if you show them how.

[@peterkelley6344]

What did that friend say when you came riding up on it 'x' days later?

[@Arkaitse]

I was screaming to the tv "you can use alectrical tape instead of the old tube " and then *whoosh Adam figured out!! It's the guerrilla way. Love this chapter. Adam stories and bikes. Win win!!

[@Caroline_Tyler]

Breaking Away - one of my favourite films!

[@SebastianGramsz0]

I built the wheel with electrical tape inside because it felt natural for me during the process. It worked great, I didnt have issues. But watching you trying to make the protection with inner tube made me completly change my mind, felt stupid i thought "omg his so right, im gonna learn so much! Because after some years you for sure gonna be turning the nipples to true the wheel, and covering the nipples with glued tape will make it harder to turn the nipples, also the tape will start to bend and tear making all sorts of problems and a mess. Soft rubber with talc powder on the other heand will be so perfect because it will make no friction for the nipples. How will You make the punch hole for the valve though to make it strong enogh..." And than You just taped it like me 😂 Weirdly satisfying

[@EllaBananas]

That is a relic I did not expect to still exist. Also, love that the basket has a clear dent in it.

[@itarry4]

You'll find that the way those brothers treated you is basically the culture and the way it is in many cycling shops. Especially when it's owned by a real cycle nut. In most cases they'll be willing to give you time, help and knowledge to whatever level you need or are interested in. They usually just want to pass on the knowledge but also the passion and love for either the sport or the mechanics, technical side. I've known a few cycle shops where they're as happy to have you pay for them to do the work as they are to help you, tell you what you need to do, what you need to use and even have let me use their space and tools and give me a hand if I needed one. If helping me started to become more them either showing me each step or having to do it themselves then they'd say I'd need to pay them but as long as it was just using their tools, space and the occasional bit of knowledge or a quick hand then they'd be happy to leave me to it. It'd have to be either after they'd finished or when they had nothing else on but still I found it's most often the case that they'll be happy to help you and make things as easy for you as they can to spend your time riding and enjoying yourself as much as possible and it doesn't matter if you take it seriously and spend more time on your bike or talking about bikes and have a lot of knowledge or your just starting out and are just developing your love for the sport and know very little as of yet. As long as you're genuinely interested, give them your respect and really listen to what they're telling, teaching you, spend, when you need to, what money you need, want to spend at their shop and tend to go in occasionally even when you don't actually need to go there just to have a look around, chat, say hello, catch up on any news or local knowledge and you don't get in the way or just hang around doing nothing. Cyclists tend to love going on and on about the sport and those shops want to help, make your riding more fun and easy to do and encourage your love, interest and passion for the sport they love. So please support your local bike shop, use your local bike shop and help keep them open. They might be more expensive but they'll return the help you give them and try getting that online store you used to help you out when you've got an issue or even sell you the best thing for your price range, give you the knowledge to make the best decision and stop you buying something you either don't need, won't fit your bike or go out of their way to ensure its exactly what you wanted, even down to the colour and will let you return it if it breaks whilst still in the return period without making it difficult to do and costing you to get it to them.

[@donaldpriola1807]

You nailed the Bike Shop Dude trope for sure. One thing (at least in my experience) is how friendly and welcome they often are to anyone, advanced or not. When I got back into biking around 10 years ago, they were the most helpful people one could hope for, especially since the landscape of bicycles had changed so much.

[@philipsheie702]

Recently spent a decade as a commuter bike mechanic. Fellow maker, nerd, etc... Glad to see you work on a bike. Truing, start wth round then dial in true. The play you were experiencing in the chainring is likely because the fixing nut on the backside has come loose. Repack the bearing. :)

[@RevenantXD]

I know what people are going to say but it still blows my mind every time I see it that Adam is wearing a pair of shoes that's worth around $10k and they're so beaten up.

[@bjswope8797]

Love the stories of your childhood and how bikes were your entry to mechanics.

[@SuperSpatman]

The rubber that was wrapped around the wheel was the rim tape. You later said that you needed to make one, but it was there somewhere. The slop in the chainring can usually be taken out by the cone/ lockring that is screwed onto the inner side. You may have to disassemble the bottom bracket to get at it, but you would still have to adjust the bottom bracket bearings if you adjusted the cone. It's all a bit more involved than your regular DIY'er would ever really have to know.

[@justinhays0827]

Taping rims is absolutely something we do. In mountain biking we run what we call tubless. We use rim specific tape, although gorilla tape is used frim time to time, and the rim is installed and sealant is added into the tire.

[@spagamoto]

Nothing wrong with a little patina! Makes it cooler. Also, "I'm the mechanic you want for the apocalypse, not the race" (paraphrased)... I felt that.

[@enormhi]

I'm a part time occasional bicycle mechanic, and I completely agree, it's a fun, fairly entry level job that can teach you a LOT