Most Riders Don’t Know This! | Pro Mechanic’s Most Important Tips

[@gmbntech]

What was the last bike you worked on?

[@WorkLessRideMore]

My own bike. Got to a trailhead at a higher elevation and the brakes needed a lever bleed. Good thing they are shimano because it was super easy to do in the parking area.

[@dawg7750]

My Roscoe 7. Spoke was loose on the trail so I used my tool to tighten up!

[@markopavsek3189]

Wife’s Orbea Rise. Wanted to change rear break for a stronger one but the new and the old hose that were combined together with Sram tool disengaged while I was pulling / pushing them through the frame… so the new hose got stuck in the frame and due to battery position couldn’t push it out. Needed to take the bike to service where they uninastalled the motor and the battery and pulled the hose out, then reassembled it back together. I did install and bled the brakes by myself. 😎

[@E.T_rode_bikes_As_well]

@@gmbntech SL8 fking hell

[@blakekennard7700]

Just finished a frame up build with a transition trans am, and am experimenting with bar roll.

[@IK47-d2l]

The legendary Calvin Jones doesn't need an introduction

[@MTBEAST007]

Who?

[@robertmcfadyen9156]

​@@MTBEAST007 The "Blue Book of Bicycle Maintenance" author , of course . My definition of a great Technical College Teacher .

[@MTBEAST007]

@@robertmcfadyen9156 There's barely anything to a bike, I'm surprised a book can be written about them. Any numpty can maintain a bike surely?

[@HunterAtheist]

​@@MTBEAST007 You're so cool bro. Frfr

[@MTBEAST007]

@@HunterAtheist oooo, sarcasm

[@playgroundchooser]

Calvin! One of the people that taught me that I can do about anything to my bike myself.

[@Velo1010]

One of the many things I like about mountain biking is working on my own bike. Recently I installed a dropper post and installed new derailleur cable. Future maintenance will be done by me, when needed.

[@nicolaspade1341]

And it is so satisfying!

[@skinnybricks]

These guys have been a lifesaver to me so many times! Thanks for interviewing them!

[@OwenBikeNerd]

Thank you - and yes they're both Legends! Cheers Owen

[@ericfroehlich976]

When I started dating my gf i could tell her two kids were scared to break things or toys. It was a symptom of their early childhood with their father. I was conscious of this and adamant in telling them "just break it so we can have fun fixing it". Getting to teach them and learn with how things work has been one of the biggest joys of my life. Kids need to know that it's ok to break something or fail in trying to fix it. We all become better for it

[@seano218]

Keep your kids away from other people's things!

[@billderas3420]

Great show with Calvin and Truman! Been working more on friend's bikes this year to expand my knowledge. Getting good input from bike owners is so important towards addressing their bike issues...and subsequent repairs.

[@grummbeerbauer3527]

"Fixing a bike is rewarding" - can't agree more on this. Being a desk warrior by profession like probably many here, I often have days where I am busy 120%, but at the end of the day, I really don't see any tangible outcome. That is why I generally enjoy most bike repairs, in particular since I now have two bikes, so I don't have to fix things "by any means" anymore as I want to get out to ride, but can do it when I am in the mood and have the time and patience.

[@screscenti]

Calvin is a Bike God!!! He has taught me so much with his videos. I just used another Park Tool video about adjusting V Brakes yesterday to tune up my brother's bike. Thank you! ❤

[@danielcobb8886]

Missus and I loved this episode. Will keep the wise words stored. A big thank you to all involved! Looking back to a few days ago I realize that upon finding the replacement thermostat for my car was 2mm too large in diameter I was not at all prepared to fail. Quite a lot of time, careful filing, test fitting and swearing later I made it work.

[@AutiSam1974]

Love these twos comedy energy combined with their tremendous knowledge and experience, thanks for having them on!

[@seraphan6]

Working on someone else's bike is often more fun because your emotional connection to the experience is very different. As the mechanic (not owner), you can focus on solving problems and not worry so much about riding time lost or how much the repair costs. As the owner repairing (or building) your own bike, the experience is a blend of frustration and satisfaction.

[@vinny61389]

Breaking things as a kid is so helpful to building a lifelong curiosity and comfort with occasionally breaking things you try to fix (hopefully less as time goes on).

[@Milessongs]

Absolutely brilliant! Thanks for bringing 4 of the most prolific bike mechanics online together for this discussion! 😊 p.s. Calvin Jones is a national treasure.

[@RobThePatentGuy]

Thanks for a great video! I've been working on my own bikes for over 3 decades and enjoy the process and rewards.

[@jrsanchez6603]

I am a car mechanic by trade and these pieces of advice can be applied to so many industries. Thank you for the great interview.

[@_petar]

A lot of people do not know that if you leave a bike for long time without ride shift it to lowest cog so that rear derailleur spring is not fully extended/at lowest load.

[@larryt.atcycleitalia5786]

I've had bikes sit for YEARS without this being done. A good idea but in practice I've yet to see it make any real difference in 5 decades of working on bicycles.

[@fpeter01]

My fail list is pretty long: slipped bike in bike stand -> broken derailleur hanger, shortening cables without pulling the inner cable back, putting on the bottle cage backwards, dot syringe jumped down -> dot fluid went everywhere, hammering out a brand new BB, because I forgot the spacers, screwed rotor bolt head... Thankfully most fails were not expensive, but still they were time consuming. An unsuccesful bleeding cost you about half an hour... But being your own mechanic is kinda cool. And if you have 10 bikes, it is really cost effective.

[@Cycle9568]

Nothing better than a quiet well tuned squeak, creak free bike.

[@LebronPhoto1]

I tend to work on old bikes on occasion. The biggest issue I have run into has been related to removing stuck, old square tapered bottom brackets. I learned that it's important to have the right tools. Every time I have run into this, my first step has been to obtain the proper tool so that I am not repeating this error again. That said, people learn (usually) by doing things and either succeeding or failing. I find that the failures provide the most valuable lessons. I had to laugh during the torque wrench discussion. Back in the 70's when I was a broke teen and didn't have a torque wrench, I broke or stripped many bolts by over tightening them.

[@bchearne]

16:33 wearing headphones isn’t just bad for your bike assessment opportunities, it’s also a little dangerous. Situational awareness is a thing

[@tshadow6]

I borrowed this mantra from the Air Force regarding cleaning: Clean to inspect, Inspect to Detect, Detect to Correct, Correct to Perfect.

[@pcbroch]

Very informative. Good collab guys, love it!

[@WilliamKennedy-g5k]

Thank you all for this prospective. Great advice! Your videos are both helpful and inspiring.

[@MarshallMoney-e7w]

This content always delivers practical knowledge.

[@bike.mad.kimbos]

There is three of us in the family and twelve, yes 12, bikes. Home maintenance is a financial must do for all but the most difficult jobs. I look forward to passing down years of accrued knowledge to my lad to give him the means to have a happy cycling life.

[@lesliesutherland4080]

Calvin has a wonderful, subtle sense of humour 🤗

[@rip.tear.]

Wasn't expecting to enjoy watching this, there's something reassuring about people who genuinely know their stuff! Common sense goes a long way!

[@MaryJenkins-m5o]

This content always delivers practical takeaways.

[@OwenBikeNerd]

Why thank you! Cheers Owen

[@Brendan95902]

The whole issue of sounds that one's bike makes could be the topic for a whole episode! What the different sounds could be and which ones need urgent attention? Sometimes the LBS seems to have real difficulty in hearing what the rider hears, or understanding what the rider is saying and being able to effect a repair. My bike has been back twice already since a major service for a clicking sound that seems yo be coming from the bottom bracket (a dub with GX crank) that only seems to start happening after 6km or so on a trail. They just can't replicate that in or near the workshop, but as a semi OCD person it is driving me to distraction and ai am allowing it to ruin my rides! They will be getting an instruction to replace my BB just to rule that out. Maybe foam ear plugs could be an answer?😊

[@JosephSAi2HT]

Mantra i’ve stuck to for some years, i reckon many would agree is: 3 people you dont want to piss off, but duly take care of - dentist, barber, and your MECHANIC! (Especially Anna, 😜 jus sayin’, bloody amazing she is! Yes Owen your just as gr8 M8!) For the kiddies, if you want experience to duly take care these important people in your life, throw in your parents, lol!

[@stephenlightstone9275]

Yet another interesting video. Good practicable advice.

[@OwenBikeNerd]

Thank you! That's what we aim for Cheers Owen

[@HabaneroTi]

Unless it's an emergency situation like a bike failure on the road far from home, never work on your bike, or really anything, when you're tired, distracted, upset or otherwise unable to focus and concentrate, or work too fast, because you'll make avoidable mistakes that could cost you big time, resulting in damage to your bike, injury or worse. If you're too tired or stressed to ride, you're too tired or stressed to work on your bike.

[@ralphcrosby4051]

Thank you for an informative vid 👍

[@prolfinator]

Parktool needs to invite gmbn to cuyuna/ north shore. May not have the most vert but it's still fun lol.

[@jamesherd9132]

10 Years ago i bought a feedback pro workstand great buy. and bought tools every month £30 budget. Having the right tools for any job is so important. My old orange 5 is cleaned after every ride . People still ask me if its new.

[@Emtbtoday]

I watch both channels park tools have a great channel aswell going through everything

[@Schwabz33]

I love working on my bike. It’s very relaxing. I purposely built a workshop in my garage to build my first mountain bike frame up.

[@EMTB17]

Build your own. The only way 🔥

[@hindesite]

Newbs - you guys think Calvin is old? Some of your viewers are way older than you might think. Probably because were the ones with time and money.

[@James-cs3hp]

Seem to be tha story of my life, cleaning up someone else's mess..but it does have a feeling of satisfaction after all is said and done...dealing with automotive electrical and mechanical cluster fuks at times...then being baffled by a bicycle makes you rethink what do I actually know...😂

[@hellkitty6663]

I'm quite new to cycling and still learning the basics. My last fail was not checking the chain wear often enough and in the meantime I rode my bike more than I thought. Well, now I don't only need a new chain but also new casstte sprocket 🥴 but what I find infuriating is, that if I have a bigger problem which I can't solve or I would need quite special tools, than I have to wait a half year for a workshop appointment because they are so busy doing the general maintenance stuff for people who are too lazy to learn to do it by themselves

[@robertmcfadyen9156]

Remember "SHELDON BROWN" .

[@OwenBikeNerd]

Agreed - another legend.

[@richardharker2775]

Always trust your bike mechanic. Its what they do everyday and they see everything about bikes and accessories.

[@johnssmith4005]

@AskGMBNTech how good or bad it is to clean the bike simply by leaving it in the rain ?😅

[@MatthewMabborang]

Calvin Jones said “Things don’t last forever” is so trueeee 😢😢😢

[@dudeonbike800]

3 good rules to follow: 1) All the way on or all the way off. 2) Grease metal-metal contact. 3) Test ride everything. The LAST thing you want to do is barely snug a stem and say to yourself, "I'll tighten that down after I'm done and have the bike off the stand so I can straighten the bars and torque it to spec." Big mistake. That's how people hurt themselves! Do yourself favor and ALWAYS tighten things. Why? You're human, and fallible and not perfect. You may get called away from what you're doing and forget about it. Or you'll have a third or fourth beer and enjoy the results! Or the phone will ring, or you'll be distracted, or the kid needs a ride to practice... You get the picture. It's just too easy to have that one in 20 or 30 or 50 bike repair jobs end up with something critical not tightened. This can kill people. Not worth the danger. And in the shop environment, rule #1 is even more crucial. You gonna sue yourself when your loose stem causes you to steer into a parked car? No. (A college friend did this.) But would you sue a shop if the bike you just bought did? Maybe. Probably. If you were injured and incurred medical expenses? Even more likely. The shop's getting sued, even if not by you. (Your insurer will pursue reimbursement through subrogation. They aren't handing out thousands of bucks if some numbskull made a major gaffe like that!) Just met a rider on the trail last week (who posted on MTBR about a friend's head-on with an e-biker, but that's another story) who rented a bike in Santa Cruz to enjoy the great trials there. She hits a small mound to jump a little bit and hit soft dirt/mud on the other side. F wheel went off line a little bit and the BARS SPUN ON THE FORK!!! She crashed kinda hard. But not so bad she couldn't finish the ride - after tightening the stem! When returning the bike (to the manufacturer rental location, no less!), she mentions the incident. Sales/service person readily admits, "Oh yeah we turn the bars sideways for storage, so our guy must have forgotten to tighten the stem." MAJOR INJURY AND LAWSUIT WAITING TO HAPPEN! Broke rule #1 above. Not good. At all. I'm actually tempted to call the location to tell 'em how dumb they are! (First, they need this rule and enforce it. Second, they need a FAILPROOF! I'd implement a policy where EVERY SINGLE BIKE WITH TWISTED BARS HAS A NEON YELLOW TAG ATTACHED SAYING "CAUTION!!! LOOSE STEM! TORQUE TO SPEC WHEN RENTING!!!" This is one of the TOP bike manufacturers and if their staff is doing this, they're derelict in their duty. I'm actually pretty blown away at this incompetence TBH.

[@SteakandChains]

What if I’m tightening my bottom bracket or the screw that hold my left pedal for a hallowtech BB and I’m hitting the recommended torque but the component is still feeling loose? Like i can tighten it more with ease? Could this mean that i need a spacer or there might me some tolerance differences?

[@nathancole8103]

Calvin rules

[@steveallen273]

Best vid ever

[@jakebrakebill]

my problem is, I stop before the wrench clicks, because it seems way too tight. and that's with a new or newly recalibrated wrench.

[@bchearne]

I have the opposite problem when I work on carbon or aluminum stuff, and I’ve had to use thread locker more often to keep things in place since I got a non-steel bike. Recommended torques can be really low when you’re threading into softer materials

[@jakebrakebill]

@@bchearne I often compare my natural feel to the torque wrench and I'm either right on or slightly under. Things I don't trust staying tight or won't be taking off for a while get the good old Loctite.

[@AutiSam1974]

JRA = Job Risk Assessment (I had to look that one up, disappointing to find out its not rude)

[@spacedoutboy404]

JRA can also be “Just Riding Along”… a common term that’s used by customers when taking their bike back to the shop when something needs repair that may or may not have been self inflicted.

[@AutiSam1974]

@@spacedoutboy404 actually yeah that's more likely what he meant , thanks 😃

[@gregsimmons1709]

Great video, very informative! A ‘how to’ for ‘how to’…

[@sylvainlefebvre8099]

It is a good day to fix a bike!

[@TitoJoebs]

#gmbntech Hi guys! I'd like to know which is more efficient to use: Spider mount chain rings or direct mount chain rings? My son & me are betting that this one is better than that one. I told him that however if he losses one tiny bolt for the direct mount, the chain ring will start to wobble & "game over". Unlike, spider chain rings, when you loose one bolt, at least you still have 3 more secure bolts, right? What would be your personal choice? #owenbikenerd, #payner25, #zimblake, #neildonoghue, #annaonthebike

[@OwenBikeNerd]

Great question - we'll try and cover it in an up coming AskGMBNTech! Cheers Owen

[@TitoJoebs]

@@OwenBikeNerd Hi Owen, still waiting for the results of the efficiency of spider-mount chain ring vs. the direct-mount chain ring from your #AskGMBNTech episodes.

[@statom985]

I would like to see take on torque and loctite and anti seize grease. Does it matter or not.

[@OwenBikeNerd]

Great question! We'll try and tackle this with Calvin! Cheers Owen

[@whazzat8015]

"Two decades" ?!!! shee. I have tires older than that. They been round a bit more "Just a rider. That's OK" Good to know

[@tonkshred]

How many hours do folks spend learning about cottered cranks and 40 year old internal hubs 🎉🎉😂😢

[@nick_john]

I fail because I have no patience.

[@NoOneIsGoingToSaveYou]

My wife loves my bald head be proud.

[@ChellSneed]

God bless them.

[@seano218]

Most importantly, if your bike mechanic does a good job... TIP THEM!!! They unfortunately make sh*te for pay.

[@edmundhodgson2572]

sram guide brakes, like a life sentence of maintenance, along with 5 pairs of tubeless tyres...££££

[@steveallen273]

Privilege video. Brilliant.

[@johngreene6783]

I hope Calvin and Truman taught Anna something. In her video about disc brake cleaning, she claims you cannot use automotive brake cleaner on bike brakes because there are lubricants in the auto brake cleaner. How did Anna get that job?

[@steveallen273]

Its ok to bea rider

[@tbull1545]

lol a couple decades each is not almost century. lol

[@OwenBikeNerd]

Well if you add the collective experience of the Park Tool Duo its closer to 75years - so yes you're right I've rounded up - but its still a huge chunk of experience. Cheers Owen

[@channul4887]

Park Tools, lol. Since they pay your bills shouldn't you at least get their name right?

[@Csapi007]

Well it was a waste of my time. But especially, the waste of Kelvin's time! He could have shared so much more information in this timeframe, not just general BS catchphrases...

[@E.T_rode_bikes_As_well]

Sorry but Park Tool nowdays is pretty bad in quality…

[@Cycle.every.day.]

So buy the older Park Tool tools? , which era?

[@hughjanus7354]

Before I watch till the end, are you going to deep-dive by doubling down on available market synergies through gamification of shareholders value in the ever changing landscape of corporate restructuring? PS the word you're looking for is "analyse", not "deep-dive" (unless this is a channel for PADI certified scuba divers or frustrated financial analysts) . PPS I love how you introduced them (your sponsor) as Park Tool*s* when they are Park Tool - you'd even spelt incorrectly in their lower thirds. The deep dive now makes more sense... Hollllllllly fffffffffffffk.

[@TCK71]

Hissy fit alert!

[@hughjanus7354]

@@TCK71 dead 🧠 alert!

[@AutiSam1974]

you sound fun

[@jonm7272]

Get a life mate.