GOOD ENOUGH FOR WHO IT'S FOR! - Gary's Diamondback Wildwood made me lose my mind! 🥴🫠

BikeFarmer viewer Gary drove 45 minutes each way to avoid dealing with the high expectations of his spandex clad local Trek dealer. His old Diamondback Wildwood is about as basic as it gets, but it's still a great old bike! What seemed like an easy, slam dunk Tuneup, turned into a bit of a challenge! Made me a bit goofy too! Fun video. My kinda bike job!
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/ @bkefrmr
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[@scottnuelken6229]

For rusty fasteners, I mount a drill wire brush in my vise and mount the screw in my drill. Just jam that fastener into the wire brush a few times with the drill going and it cleans out the head of the screw nicely while also polishing up the cap.

[@racerx8410712]

I was literally just about to post the same thing! Add a little oil, works great!

[@joew717]

I just love your videos, between the soft music, the narration, and learning a few tricks to keep my old bikes on the road it's actually very relaxing and informative

[@bkefrmr]

That’s my goal! Thanks for saying so!

[@joew717]

@@bkefrmr Greetings from South Florida!

[@dfgsfhghgsf]

The optical illusion of the cogs spinning counter to the wheel at 24:00 is very satisfying

[@richardchaney6990]

Man it’s sooooo great watching these videos. Thanks Bike Farmer!🚴

[@rainerunsinn4808]

Great job again! I think the loudness of the voice-over in comparisson to the background music, is a little bit low, in this video.

[@tblakemusic]

yeah, music is a bit too loud starting around the Aristotle rant lmao

[@bkefrmr]

I wonder if I missed turning it down on a few section…bummer!

[@rainerunsinn4808]

@@bkefrmr Yeah that happens sometimes. If you always use the same loudness setting for your microphone and only the music is the variable, use the freeware programm "mp3 gain" (not sponsored ;) ) to set the loudness to a specific, consistent level every time.

[@alanwasono]

Great videos, appreciate your work. Saw you on path less pedalled when you mentioned that you watch luthier videos. Do you play the music on your videos? I can recommend twoodfrd - another great luthier KZbinr. Similar humour & wit as your handsome self. Cheers!

[@davidhakes5141]

I have a ladies model bicycle, mountain bike, in the same configuration as the one in this video. It has a used Trek pannier rack on the back, and it's my grocery getter. When I have that rack stacked up high, with my load by the time it's all said and done in town, and I'm heading home, that step through frame is pretty handy.

[@hungrybraineater2]

I managed to use one of those old Schwinn ladies frames to carry a 2 stack tall bike. My friends tall bike had no wheels so i used his girlfriends ladies bike to move my friends 2 frame high tall bike to a new location. Think i was wheeling around maybe 40 pounds of bike on that damn thing.

[@davidhakes5141]

@@hungrybraineater2 40-50lbs. Yeah, those old bikes had some heft to them. I have 2 steel frame mountain bikes, a ridgid frame, and a full squish, as they call it, a full suspension mountain bike, and that one is heavier than the previously mentioned bike, with the wheels off. Both are department store bikes. The ladies model came with a child seat, which meant that when ever you get on and off, you're in danger of kicking the kid.

[@hungrybraineater2]

@@davidhakes5141 I had a suspension fork on a dept store mountain bike schwinn. I weighed it was at least 13 pounds if i remember correctly. I put a chrome fork from a Ross mount Whitney on it and put a full Shimano mountain bike gruppo on it. The schwinns from the 70s were built like trucks. I put a schwinn frame on the bottom of the stacked bike and put a Huffy on the top. Welded them together so then you had a tall bike.

[@davidhakes5141]

@@hungrybraineater2 I went and had too many birthdays to be messing with those outlandish frame bikes, but, I don't knock them, because I don't make it a practice to judge other people, and what makes them happy. I've seen those tall bikes all over KZbin, and TikTok, and the crazy ways people decorate them. If I don't fall off of the thing, if I were to try to ride it, I'm liable to catch a power line, where I live. Have fun, stay safe, and God bless.

[@hungrybraineater2]

@@davidhakes5141 I am a cyclist the tallbike creation is probably the most embarrassing thing ive built. its like that child i dont want to admit that exists lol.

[@johnzee691]

try using a small piece of brake wire in a drill spinning the direction of the twist in the hex screws

[@rainerunsinn4808]

But wear an apron and googles for this hack! These single wires can break and fly through the air with high speed (same for these cheap-o wire brushes for your drill). These will go deep into your skin (ask me how I found out... )

[@cav6112]

I am very impressed by your cleaning methods.

[@tonyalewis9053]

I like the music so you are correct about opinions! ☺️

[@StayZero556]

This one is very similar to my wife’s Diamondback Crestview. Hers is a 7 speed and it has twist shifters. It was literally a free bike, we snagged it off the curb during our local spring clean up. I tore it all down and gave everything a good cleaning, greased everything, and she rode the hell out of it for the last few years.

[@johnp9650]

Used your cleaning method for the first time this weekend & it worked really well! I washed the wheels using a garden sprayer, but it was great to not have to deal with a wet frame & chain.

[@LukeRichardson1981]

If I wasn't perfectly confident doing all my own maintenance, I'd certainly have no issues trusting my fancy bikes to you! The care and attention to detail you put into basic bikes makes me totally confident that you'd do the same thing with any bike, no matter how advanced.

[@robertheim352]

Why am I watching you hour after hour? There is nothing like the reality of struggling with simple mechanics and fixing things. Your cleaning is the icing on the cake ;-) Thanks for the entertainment!

[@TedAndkilde]

Hey BikeFarmer, love your laid-back style of presentation and nice to see a test ride as part of your rubric. I like your Lemon Pledge tip as well as the spoke tucked into the truing stand to allow you to work with one arm at a time.

[@HamShazam23]

Another home run, ladies and gentlemen, B. Kfrmr knocks it out of the park. Seriously though, this video made for a very relaxing tail end of the weekend. Thanks!

[@MNpicker]

I always watch.. all the way through.. good stuff man👍🏻 Im going to listen to a little Madonna now😁

[@davidrunfola4662]

I’ve been doing basic maintenance and some repairs on my 2 old diesel trucks and various family cars for decades, but a seasonal bike tune up intimidates me. Not any more. This is awesome! Thanks!

[@hungrybraineater2]

Dont feel intimidated. I knew a guy who was a very good mechanic who did transmissions. Also a great bike mechanic as well rode a very nice raliegh steel frame road bike. Alot of the stuff you know from diesel motors will transition over.

[@No_ReGretzky99]

I got very bad ADHD I lose shit 😅

[@hungrybraineater2]

@@No_ReGretzky99 i had like one of those magnetic trays that would keep bolts from running off from you. But to be honest i did not use it as much for fear of magnetizing some of the bolts and screws. But a good tray will solve the issues of you losing stuff.

[@roosterhunter6245]

Dorked disked this vidja all the way to the end! Wearing my eclipse sun glasses at night too!!! Happy Eclipse Day! 4/08/2024

[@wolfgangweber9924]

Finally an explanation of Einstein's theory of relativity that I can follow! Thank you so much! Your explanation of Newton's law of gravity is shorter though: Ope! By the way your enthusiasm re cantilever brakes is contagious. I was playing with the thought of converting my steed from canties to V-brakes. Now I won't lose any sleep over that anymore.

[@tblakemusic]

That laugh sound at 41:27 is killing me 🤣

[@enriquevillasenor9386]

I bought my wife this exact bike 31 years ago. Each of our three children used it for a while as well. My wife still uses it to ride around the neighborhood, local bike path, and the local CicLAvia. $5 tacos? Those are some fancy tacos!

[@RolandRides]

In another video you told us that Dawn is just dish soap + water + isopropyl alcohol. While we don't have the product here in Germany, I mixed those things myself into a spray bottle. It's sadly not foamy but cleans extremly well without a need to wash it down. Awesome, thanks for the tip! Update: It's the spray bottle head. Used one from a bath cleaner and it foams perfectly!

[@ByronAllis]

I actually love those friction shifters

[@bassistadisinistra]

Wow! From Zero to Hero!

[@andrel3]

BikeFarmer more like BikePhilosopher :D

[@jacobatherton8339]

Whole lotta wisdom in this one.

[@HegelsBikeMechanic]

The ol' retwisting the cable trick.

[@samblenkharn8099]

Good effort. Nothin wrong with that bike.

[@RicLevine]

That was the EXACT bike I had to sell when I moved into a too hilly neighborhood. 'Twas fun to ride and bike-walk my dog with. Another good video...except the one part where the music drowned you out. Very slick to turn it down without us noticing. 😉

[@bubblesezblonde]

[@xmateinc]

Ive commuted on a few diamondbacks, my main commuter right now is a diamondback union 2. It’s my car. Unfortunately I haven’t seen a new model out of diamondback in like 4 years. Old diamondbacks are solid choices.

[@zero716]

Thanks!

[@brrrt6666]

Just done up a bike for my girlfriend with a similar frame. Had the same trouble with the rear canti pads going back to their original crooked orientation. The cable routing adds a ton of friction as well, going to install a pulley at the seatpost clamp. Those breaks really cost me some nerve...

[@ThemusMaximus]

I still have the exact same bike from new. Well... in red, men's frame and I had to replace the front forks because my son though it would be just as good on jumps as a full suspension MTB. I still have it though.

[@davidcrowson4745]

Well done sir

[@kenlang6672]

I sense a sorta Gestalt therapy to all this. The various components move in their own direction but the individual parts are responsible for their own actions...

[@danger8430]

A nice simple bike, some good maintenance and a bit of jazz? Oh yeah

[@garysladek9110]

Okavango Delta, Botswana, pretty neat . Cheers

[@bkefrmr]

I’ll bring a bike!

[@Sekhmet6697]

Great video! I’ve always wondered if you add toe to the pads, won’t they eventually wear flat again?

[@irondistance4313]

Howling brakes and taco seepage. What a show thx

[@ByronAllis]

You would have loved my chirping plastic pedals. It literally sounded like I had a bird nest in each foot.

[@Sooperhans3636]

Looks like that freewheel doesn’t have any shift ramps on it, old school friction freewheel. Ran into same issue last week, new Shimano freewheel fixed the issue right up.

[@pentiuman]

The green stuff is probably genuine slick snot (from a doorknob) for lubrication, of course. A poor pheasant probably owned the bike and made do.

[@FLUSHER822]

Dawn Power Wash also works V E R Y well helping with stubborn tires going on the rim.

[@zenicfox]

Huh, the other day I spent an hour trying to install a tire. Just bought some dawn power wash so ill try that next time

[@spencerrobinson2719]

I like that you test ride them…some shops don’t. If you were able to shorten the chain, would it bring the derailleur closer to the freewheel and cause the bike to shift sharper?

[@MarcKroetch]

I like the music!

[@bkefrmr]

Thanks! Lots of comments mentioning the volume is wonkey. Too loud apparently…

[@davidrobertson3673]

I very much enjoy your videos. could you leave a link to the screw holding players? Thanks for what you do. I’ve learned a lot so far and not done yet.

[@sylvainguidi]

I wish my old father would run his bike too...

[@VolkanTaninmis]

How about video that gives tips for bike comfort in the tems of seat height/position etc?

[@durden.tyler537]

What do you think about running a cable liner over the bare cable between the stops on the downtube? Worthwhile to keep the dust out?

[@FinalChunk_]

Don't the brake bolts back out if you grease them? I know some bolts that come with threadlock pre applied on them.

[@christianb.1028]

It took me 3 days to finish the video, but I felt obliged to your request 😉

[@b4oh]

With a canti brakes, put a rubber band with a knot (so it can sit tight against the pad and put it on the back side of the pad makes it toe in and get rid of the squeak

[@markfrisbie1587]

Love fact/opinion discourse.

[@Billy-cs4cc]

I have a very rusty never used chain. What do I do to free it up and keep it lubed properly? Thanks so much.

[@LukaPaja]

OH yeah I've watched it all the way

[@Warhamster55]

I believe the bike is called a step through and them term women’s bike is no longer used. Take a at Lotte Kopecky’s bike. It has a high top tube. She just won’t the Pairs-Roubaix. I like the step through because I lack the flexibility to throw my leg over it.

[@johnkorpics5155]

I watched til the end😊

[@bkefrmr]

Without sleeping!?

[@johnkorpics5155]

@@bkefrmr yea, broke it up in more than one sitting...plus I'm a pretty big bike nerd when I'm not wrenching I'm watching you guys

[@Tarmaccyclocross]

Thanks

[@bkefrmr]

Thanks hey!

[@F3udF1st]

11:08 noo you didn't goop that post & hole up with grease!

[@Taurian_]

Sounded like date night in Sheboygan at about 13 minutes in…

[@user-ul5sb3ku9k]

OK, OK ...Your good.....😊

[@vaquerosupreme3189]

Could sluggish rear derailleur index shifting also be due to the rear derailleur hanger misalignment? Since I use friction I never have this issue.

[@jgbarre]

Evapo rust works wonders on rusty bolts…check it out!

[@joekerrthejoker]

What’s that applicator for the triflow? Just some fine tubing? Nice vid

[@staticdisaster]

The tube comes with the bottle (it's taped)

[@CS-eb9wh]

One sticker says USA... The other China.... HA! Nice job, like your channel.

[@exothermal.sprocket]

The gunk stuck to those rear sprockets bothers me. Soak 'em down with de-greaser and give 'em a little scruby scrub with the wire. But hey, it's working and that's the main thing.

[@ThomasMTube]

Good to see you purchased the screw pliers! Game changer

[@bkefrmr]

Thanks for the tip! I love ‘em!

[@Teguvas]

I laughed when you said it's a girls bike. They originally came about when girls used to wear long dresses. Nowadays they don't, but they should be mens bikes, slide off the saddle frontally on an incline, well there goes the wedding tackle..... Oh wait, I'm on a girls bike, missed me!

[@aamj50]

If you get tired of paying for Tenacious Oil, chainsaw bar oil is basically the same stuff but costs less for a quart than the tiny bottle of Phil's.

[@DorkDiscFanClub]

I've been thinking about trying 90w gear oil however my tenacious bottle is still quite full

[@newbieuserguy6899]

Hey Brian K. - Newbie U. Guy here. How do you handle old freehubs that have gummy engagement pawls? I've had success using a heat gun to melt the old grease, but IDK if that will persist.

[@xtrx3226]

Watch out for getting slippy silicone polish on the brake pads at 29:42.

[@bkefrmr]

You’re messin’ with me, right?

[@WerdnaLiten]

A 'Stepthru' frame aka a Mixte.......

[@bkefrmr]

Not exactly

[@89barbarosa]

Can i ask something. Considering that I live in a country where the average hourly wage is about 3-4 dollars, and materials are about the same as they are in US, and i always replace rusty bolts. I assume that the majority of the price of service there is in the labor. How it is more profitable for you and for a customer to spend time half-successfully restoring the shine to the bolts than to replace them. The screws cant be more than 10-15 cents a piece. Same question for shift/brake cables that are about 1 or 2 dollars ( or original shimano that are like 5 bucks).

[@vfclists]

At 8:55 wouldn't the grease in the brake post threads be a problem in the not too distant future, says Calvin at Park Tool?

[@steelisreal4313]

I tried the file trick on old brake pads and they stopped like a champ...once... after that back to lackluster performance. Canti brake pads are cheap new I say just replace them.

[@evantench6651]

His daughter is going to want it back now.

[@Piroschkaburschi]

Man, you´re so good!

[@jeremyking6146]

excellent watch, great bike, the music is a little loud and kinda drowns out your voice a bit but quite relaxing ! just letting you know

[@bkefrmr]

I had some audio issues with this one…

[@joaopedrodefreitaslima2936]

Thank you for another great video. Andy, what you think about bamboo frames?? 😂😂, did you ever ride one? Just curious

[@MumfordJim]

How much will you end up charging for the cleanup/tuneup on this bike?

[@bkefrmr]

$100. Not enough, tbh, but that’s how it goes sometimes

[@fid420]

Fancy boy 😂.

[@hufnaglep]

Seems like a good job relaxing work by yourself. Like to see the customer pick up the bick. I just got back into bicking. Got a single speed road bike off facebook 100$ good shape. Don't like the big seat. I agree with you just casually ride not like pro bikers spend lot of money . were stupid tight clothing. Lol

[@jackhorsley3912]

Do you ever encounter some seriously seized seat posts? I can’t get one out of an old bike of mine and it’s driving me nuts

[@themoodyteam]

There’s loads of videos on this. In my experience heat and soaked in WD-40 works best.

[@mattcameron9349]

Can I ask what the green-grease is that you are using? I'm used to using 'Lucas X-Tra Heavy Duty' but am fairly devastated that they no longer sell it in Europe anymore (I'm in the Scottish Highlands).

[@Dickmanthetard]

I could be wrong but in other peoples videos I see the green grease all the time and pretty sure it's the stuff from Park Tools.

[@TedAndkilde]

Looked like Phil's Waterproof grease to my eyes. Another good one is Motorex 2000, which is translucent green and looks like the stuff Shimano used BITD.

[@mattcameron9349]

​@@TedAndkildeExcellent, thank you!

[@marrrrrk]

Andy, your slightly rambling philosophical commentary set to this music is making my day.

[@inconspicuous-nobody]

Holdup, are 14mm kickstand bolts standard across the pond? Wild! I think I've only ever seen 17-s

[@bkefrmr]

I use Greenfield kickstands. They’re still made in the USA. 14mm since forever. Super common here.

[@inconspicuous-nobody]

@@bkefrmr Neat! I like my 17-s here, they're hard to strip or break, and the damn things tend to come loose unless really cranked down :)

[@kurtvanalsburg673]

fraid cable can be tinned with solder. is what have done for years. those cable end crimps to fast

[@scottraines4254]

Green ick is goose poop? Guessing.

[@junaubomber6977]

I thought you are supposed to flare out these cantilever arms as far as possible in order to increase leverage on the rim, maximizing braking power

[@wolfgangweber9924]

The one thing I saw on the rear brake is that anchoring the straddle cable a little shorter could result in very slight and not worth the effort improvement of brake performance. Ideally you like the straddle cable to make a 90 degree angle when the brake is applied. Harris Cyclery has a piece on that on the web site.

[@osmanhempwick]

I think it’s almost always better to get to the bottom of things than having faith. People are just afraid of the unknown.

[@69Harveyb1]

Do you have an uncle in St Cloud Minnesota? Rod of Rod's Bikes is you in Minnesota. I've been going there for decades. One big room of used bikes and bikes with repair tags, and KHS's hanging from the ceiling. He doesn't even have a website and believe it or not, no business answering machine. PS I grew up in Waukesha. Most of my family still live there. Politics here is as grungy as it is there so yeah, I'd move back. PSS Used to work for Gordie and Frank Boucher...

[@seraphan6]

I probably would have shortened the straddle wires, especially the front one. Great work getting this old bike working well again!

[@bikerrider4845]

Wild wood music??

[@manythanks6476]

For now all I can give is a like and a subscribe..will buy you a coffee one day though.

[@billyjo1148]

my belief is that gary is very secure in himself to ride a girls bike

[@mitmon_8538]

Taco time!!!

[@kona0197]

I still don't understand why you have issues with disc brakes. Would rather bleed a disc brake then mess with cantilevers.

[@bkefrmr]

I knew you’d say that, lol

[@AstralS7orm]

Remind me of the squeek you get from angled disc. Yes they're good. No they're just as painful to set up due to tight tolerances. No your slow acoustic bike you don't ride downhill at 30 mph doesn't need them. It needs multiple compound pads to handle rainy weather instead.

[@N8844H]

Decent folding workstand for a kind of heavy ebike? The stand needs to fit into a pretty confined space when not in use, and I know you'll recommend something good enough for who it's for! Thank you.

[@ericsande5345]

OK, I'm going to say it - the music mix was too loud on this one.

[@Billy-cs4cc]

I have to 2nd it about the music, although I prefer none at all. I think it's easier to concentrate on what you say and do if it at all makes sense?