Smashed up & time crunched - The decisions of a professional bike mechanic

[@michaelnoy4283]

Great video where common sense comes first for the customer rather than a big repair bill. Even gets warranty and also big shout out to Trek and their warranty.

[@asmaco1]

Convincing and impressive. I suspect I had a similar issue with a SRAM brake lever, only non of the bike shops was willing to analyse the problem. They wanted simply to sell complete brake/switch-sets for 500plus € without labour. This shows how important a competent LBS is.

[@LTBlightthebeam]

#thankssram

[@TomJenner]

Wish I lived closer to your business! Would bring my bike straight round. Great videos. Thank you

[@kevinfrost1579]

Efficient and cost effective solutions to get the customer back on his bike. Class example. Personally support charge by parts and time, when done well, it’s a fantastic service and benefit to the customer, as this owner will no doubt attest. Not all can ever be 100% apparent on initial visual inspection, sometimes owners may overlook that. This shows exactly why we should expect to pay a fair rate for top quality knowledge and service. Chapeau Paul 👏

[@n22pdf]

Top work well done for thinking outside the box for the customer and getting him rolling again 😃😃👍 Pete 🚴🏻👍

[@timhall7771]

Perfect timing... just this morning I was thinking it seemed to be a long time since I'd seen a Mapdec "interesting repair" video... nice one! And great to see the thought that goes into the trade-offs involved in repair/replace

[@abhimawa1]

Great video 👍 I’m always a sucker for orange-black color (McLaren F1 in mind)

[@iannixey8779]

Fantastic work again Paul. Total respect.👌👌👌👌

[@briantravis1851]

Mate…. Looking strong and lean 👌👊. Well done !

[@dperreno]

I appreciate that you even considered rebuilding the brake lever, but yeah, looks like the basic structure of the lever was damaged and a new lever was clearly the best solution. I own that exact same bike and I agree that I wish the frame geometry was the older H2 with the longer head tube. But I flipped the stem and managed to get enough height to make it comfortable so there's that. I am glad Trek went ahead and provided a new wheel for that price - I think those wheels are fantastic!

[@Mapdec]

They are nice wheels. Often over looked.

[@sprossi46]

Good video and great customer service Paul 👍👍👍👍

[@Mapdec]

Thanks 👍

[@edscoble]

With the hanger, normally I replace but in some scenario that's not feasible, and depend on the shape of the hanger, we often take it off and put it in a vice to try and bend it flat enough to be able to use the hanger tool to finish it off.

[@martindoonan198]

Nice break down of the repair/replace decision making. I like seeing that you balance the value of time taken versus parts prices to get the best over value for the customer. A point to handling hydraulic fluids: a pair of safety glasses alongside the gloves would help you, I think. Just store the on top of the box of gloves.

[@COYSMike]

Love these videos of you working on customer's bikes.

[@Mapdec]

Glad you like them!

[@Holden0583]

Love the Videos. Thank you for providing a wide range of different content. Well explained as always

[@Mapdec]

Glad you like them!

[@diehardbikes]

I have had this happen with a Sram Force 22 hrd brake, but it was the caliper that was the problem. I ended up being able to bleed it and it works correctly, but next time that it gets bled it might not be so lucky. I had to be very very fast to make it work. Customer needed it the very next morning. Otherwise I may have gone to buy something and fix it right. Thats what I prefer.

[@hugsparty]

I run a DIY workship (a Bike Kitchen) and we very much see ourselves as filling that gap you talk about. We're crystal clear about not being a bike shop - we don't offer a warranty and we won't do the work for you. But If you want to repair something and it's not cost effective for a bike shop to do that, people are welcome to come and have a crack! If they need to replace a part or it's beyond what they're comfortable doing - we tell people to go to their LBS.

[@gavindempsey99]

Interesting idea. Are you supplying tools, stands etc. for use as well?

[@hugsparty]

@@gavindempsey99 Yup, we have three work stations with the basics, then a decent selection of 'expert' tools that only come out if people know what they're doing!

[@alistairmacfadyen9365]

Excellent video, love the sense of supporting riders

[@denisrogers4358]

Once again solid work and a chuffed custy. Love the wrenching content but please include video segments of you guys on the bike.🚴🏿

[@Hambini]

It's interesting that you price jobs on hours. I always do price jobs.

[@Mapdec]

Yeah. With modern cable routing etc we often need to remove parts to access other parts. We have fixed price offers, but for most things we charge by the half hour.

[@LaurentiusTriarius]

My BMW specialist figured this out; he does quote the book time as a minimum but charges by the hour if something doesn't go as planned. He has a permanent waiting list so I guess he's doing it right ...

[@mechanicaldavid4827]

I encourage you to upgrade your eye protection from "safety squints" 😅 - working eyes are part of your toolkit!

[@_Zane__]

I recently did a sram cut/stealthamajig/bleed on my winter bike, was pretty easy once you get the hang of it. I'm working part time in a shop, and most of the time I'm working by myself, it's pretty stressful as I don't know everything. I want to quit 😂

[@Mapdec]

Always gotta have time for learnings. Sounds like you need a word with your boss

[@seitenryu6844]

We try really hard at our shop to repair what's sensible but, depending on the season, there simply isn't time for anything except replacement. Sometimes spending a bit more to get back to riding is the better play. On another note, how do you guys manage your repair queue when it's several weeks long, and longer than your staff schedule?

[@Mapdec]

Interesting one. We are just rolling out a new system to help us manage workflow. I’ll let you know how it goes. We don’t really do bookings though. Everything is drop in and queue. We give estimated waits at the time and try and keep owners updated. It can be chaotic, but it means we always have something to work on while we wait on parts or customers response.

[@jamesmckenzie3532]

Great job getting the customer back on the bike with a minimum of fuss. As to repairing the SRAM AXS shifter, pull the coin cell, replace, and put the old lever in the bin. They aren't really worth repairs unless it's a broken lever. That's because it was damaged in a crash. If it was leaking with no crash, then you might get it working with new seals.

[@mtbboy1993]

2:57 I'm not surprised something cracked, as the lever body is plastic.

[@LTBlightthebeam]

#thankssram

[@steve6942]

Fabulous 👌 👏 Did pretty much the same with one of my groups bikes. Rear hanger was straightened but had been done previously so it folded faster than Cheshire cheese. Fortunately I had a spare replacement. Built up a rear wheel with a new rim (good old dt swiss) new rear derailleur and a brake bleed and new pads and he was good to go 😊 I get the whole try and repair the broken bits instead of new ones. I spent what felt like ages sourcing the whole lower derailleur cage inner outer springs and jockey wheels and fixed it on the same bike and advised he get a new hanger cause if it bends he will end up with a hefty repair/replacement bill And what do you know 😏 Great content as always 👏 keep it up Paul 😊😊

[@Mapdec]

🙏

[@ploughmyfield]

Firstly, wow, fitting the customer in for a repair at short notice. Then, having some correct parts available in time. Stroke of luck with the wheel being ready. (Golden rule)Always have a spare mech hanger at home. Will not take much to completely destroy the bent one now. Customer should also be taking spare hanger on Holiday with them (judging by how unlucky they are🤣) Paul, I hope you are taking your spare hanger on holiday with you? Professional curtesy dictates not disclosing prices. It would have been good to know the difference in cost between Fix & Replace. Maybe there is another video or series in comparisons of fix or replace key components.

[@dan11thehands]

My archer components electronic shifter stop...i check with cie its a bit over a year no warranty they want to give me a deal on new one but can you open that box shifter can it be fix ! I put back my mechanical xtr shifter it works great not missing electronic shifting but...i paid a lot for that specially in Canada with the money exchange rates...thanks for comments here 😊

[@thomascrown894]

Well done given the circumstances. Most mechanics wouldn't even consider repairing that lever. Personally, I would point out that there may be an option to rent a bike in the target destination. Just take your saddle, maybe pedals and you're good to go. Meanwhile, your beauty will be taken care of. I wonder how often does a commuter come in that needs his bike ready asap so he can pedal again to work. I figure this sort of people own several bikes and have some general skills to get along with all kinds of malfunctions that sooner or later will occur if you take the bike out no matter what the weather is, every day. Plus they might take a better care of their bikes on the road as well in the garage. If you ride every day around the town, you remember every pothole by it's name. The one's that surprise you, are fixed. With cars, you can see quite often people that drive them every day with no attention to maintenance. With bikes, such attitude is much less forgiving. Just a random thought about the customer base. With increasing number of sunny days, booked holidays and whatnot, more and more people find out that stuff ain't working. And they are frustrated not out of fear that they might have an ugly accident on the way to work, but because there's a risk they might not have enough fun in Mallorca.

[@Mapdec]

It’s odd, but we rarely see commuter bikes.

[@JibbaJabber]

​@@Mapdec A bit to hilly around Kendal 😊

[@brookegravitt4117]

I’ve seen someone ( rides of Japan? Trace velo? ) stick something in the hose to keep the oil from shooting out if you’re trying to pull them through without leaking all over the insides of the frame

[@NeoPayneHK]

13:43 may be replacing the rear hanger too?🤣

[@jamesmckenzie3532]

Might not have one and they take forever to be delivered.

[@jamesmckenzie3532]

Might not have one and they take forever to get delivered.

[@jennibristol7720]

I got a set of OEM AXS force levers last year from Wiggle :) bargain!

[@shannontaylor3565]

Super interesting video! I'm an amateur mechanic and trained in a local co-op where the attitude is very much repair at all costs. Interesting to hear the mechanic's perspective on when it isn't cost effective to repair parts. Do you have to throw out the non functional parts? I imagine there might be a cycle charity interested in repairing them.

[@mattoconnor1694]

Great work and a true understanding of 'service'! Would you always give the frame or carbon parts a once over in a crash, pot hole or incident? I'd be a bit worried about it. Or to put it another way - would you really need to go some to damage a carbon frame / part?

[@MrJpauwels]

Great video, so unfortunate you are @ the other side of the splash 😉. Wanted to have a bike mechanic like you here in the Netherlands. Did you check the frame for cracks? I would like to know for sure after these two crashes that my frame is still structural intact.

[@arcoulant87]

This is main reason I don't do club rides.

[@PoorWorksmanship]

I've got a bike in my shop with a mushy sram brake lever and I never thought to check the sealthamajig! Do you have any recommendations for troubleshooting guides?

[@_Zane__]

Try putting a syringe with some dot fluid on the lever and pull a vacuum and see if any bubbles come into the syringe, flick the brake lever also.. I wouldn't bother with the barb/olive fitting unless you see fluid coming out of the fitting

[@Miner0150]

What are argon 18 like for warranty claims have you ever dealt with them before thx

[@mctaggm]

Main problem here is running SRAM 😆

[@dickieblench5001]

And disc brakes

[@mike_f]

Echoing all the other positive comments and adding please get some safety glasses mate!

[@lawrenceokane1678]

I learned the hard way not to ride for at least a week before going on holiday with the bike.

[@askmeaboutmattweiner]

Yup same. Indoor only

[@harry-]

What happened to the Ribble video with the bottom bracket issue??

[@Mapdec]

Umm. There was a Dolan one. YT took it down after Dolan got legal. Ironically the Hambini one of the same bike is still up, and that’s a whole lot more offensive.

[@harry-]

@@Mapdec ah ok - yes, been down a rabbit hole of bad frame videos

[@tomrengert1221]

And very often the customer can resell the broken but fixable part and claw some money back, I always think back to when I was a broke teen sourcing damaged second hand bits to repair!

[@JFomo]

You should have up-sold the customer a new Look frame.

[@JamesSmith-qs4hx]

Made me glad I gave brake cables....🤔

[@JohnWilliams-s9n]

Being pragmatic always works! 😊

[@reecedawson6113]

I'm a crash magnet, I've crashed 5 times in 5 months, i crashed the day before my holiday so i had to move it to the week after and luckily my new custom road bike was ready the day before i flew 😂

[@Mapdec]

I guess that’s a win

[@reecedawson6113]

@@Mapdec yeah I'm getting a great week on it after waiting for the stupidly sized thru axles arrived

[@froggy0162]

Yuck. Headset cable/hose routing really does look horrible. I mean, it looks stupid as well, but I’m sure glad I don’t have to deal with that maintenance faff…

[@outdoorvertical]

Glad I still use rim brakes😂 anyone else?

[@avro66]

Just built myself a new bike and I'm using rim brakes, never ride in the wet so no problem.

[@LTBlightthebeam]

#thankssram

[@energylab6277]

Is the Wera Zyklop the best bike tool in existence? I say yes

[@Mapdec]

I do love them. With a bit of practise they just float through jobs

[@energylab6277]

@@Mapdec crank bolts are my favourite use flipping between 75deg and straight

[@twgq]

You're thinner! Congrats.

[@Mapdec]

🙏

[@Robinators]

Effin sram brakes with dot fluid.. it would be soooo much easier with mineral oil. I like the ergonomics of the hoods, but bleeding and stuff in a apartment is a hustle.

[@Mapdec]

How?

[@matthewbenger8355]

Get Laka. All those problems solved. Probably would have paid for a rental bike worse case if couldn't get the bike sorted in time.

[@oliversharp7383]

How are you putting out so many videos? Have you cloned yourself?😂

[@josediaspinto7438]

That SRAM bleeding kit is crap, update to Park Tools

[@Mapdec]

lol. No. Although in the interview I did with Park, they insist they have fixed it.

[@joynthis]

Odd that the primary problem isn't that it's a Trek.

[@andreemurray7039]

Rim brakes and mercancal gearing simple cheaper

[@feedbackzaloop]

That's aint unluck, definetely knuckleheadery. If they are so hyped and anxious even before the holiday, scared to imagine the accidents occuring en route and on site!

[@nomadcarpenter8549]

Have you ever accidentally blocked a tube in tube internal cable port 400mm from the end with masking tape? No? You're not an impatient moron? I have. Any recommendations?

[@nomadcarpenter8549]

I've tried poking it through with cable inner or outer

[@Mapdec]

Fit a new hose. That’s never going to end well.

[@actonblue2012]

Wear goggles. It's horrible stuff to get in your eyes.

[@ColdMamba78]

Real cyclists do not take planes to go in hollidays and take care of our planet 😁. This may was karma 😁

[@Mapdec]

Real cyclists??

[@thomascrown894]

Most cyclists own a car and drive it on a daily basis. The "real" ones don't own a car and ride on a bike every day. Now that doesn't mean that they take care of the planet in other aspects of their life. It's just not fun. And the bike is perceived mostly as a sports tool, to have fun with. Why do runners make pointless miles? They might as well run to work. Yet we don't distinguish between them like that. The potential of a bike is bigger than that of a pair of shoes. By no means should we feel angry about those that aren't using it to the fullest. If people would care about the planet, they could do loads of other things instead. They just don't. The planet doesn't care about us either. I always find comfort in the thought that in 500 million years all evidence of this civilization and it's failures will burn to ashes. The only thing I fear, is that we can make it to another solar system with brains not much more intelligent than now.

[@DDai-qd8uk]

Ugh, you might want to look up how to use the term "belt and braces", just to avoid sounding like an idiot in future.

[@Mapdec]

I have no idea what you mean. I’m happy being an idiot. Keeps expectations low 😂

[@DDai-qd8uk]

@@Mapdec haha it's youtube, expectations are always low. you're using the term in the complete opposite way it is intended i'm afraid. all good, though. you live you learn. keep the content coming p dogg 👍

[@theneuz3131]

A lot of talking and not working that customer is being charged labour per hour for ? I understand making a KZbin video but the customer is not making a video.

[@Mapdec]

You really believe we charged a customer for filming. Wow. Get real dude.

[@theneuz3131]

@Mapdec true, don't know why I thought that . Sorry mate I apologise

[@roadracermark7946]

That's why rim brakes are better. 🫣🎣

[@johnkasza2315]

Looking pretty svelte buddy!

[@Mapdec]

Thank you kindly