The Shocking Truth Why Bike Mechanics Work Behind Closed Doors

I've been riding a lot, so everything on my bike keeps breaking. But luckily I'm a mechanic! Here's a glimpse inside my average weekly maintenance session filled with over-decaffeination, chaos, and hitting stuff with hammers because sometimes brute force is the best force. I also threw in some repair tips for all you nerds out there!
Timestamps:
00:00 - The Shocking Truth
01:27 - Bottom Bracket Replacement
04:00 - Shock Mounting Hardware
05:11 - Tensioning Spokes
06:20 - Straightening Derailleur Hanger
07:05 - Front Wheel Bearings
08:30 - Phone Riding Clips
// Here are some links to various tools I mentioned/used in the video:
- Derailleur Alignment Gauge: amzn.to/3WceqyW
- Spoke Tension Gauge: amzn.to/3Bt9E6z
- Mini ratchet set: amzn.to/422yuVY
- All-time favorite metal pick: amzn.to/3LDY1Q1
- Brush set that I like: amzn.to/3LgWZIq
- Favorite spoke wrench: amzn.to/3AAV6RV
- Pretty decent snap ring pliers: amzn.to/40QZbfn
- Bike hooks: amzn.to/425M6js
- Truing Stand: amzn.to/3NlvHD8
// More of Wild Grit
wild-grit.com
/ wild_grit
For business inquiries only, email: [e-mail]
// My Gear:
- Favorite ultralight & comfortable trail helmet: amzn.to/43XModK
- Favorite Kneepads: amzn.to/3oD3QE6
- Favorite Shoes: amzn.to/446Avm2
- Main Camera: amzn.to/2Mr5Lq0
- Favorite lens: amzn.to/2P1rRBg
- Backup Camera: amzn.to/2BmNVy0
- Microphone: amzn.to/2VSvdYq
- Tripod: amzn.to/31sZajd
Shopping through my affiliate links will give me a small commission at no additional cost to you. Thanks for your support!

[@nathanjohnston8925]

One question we always had at the store was why we had so many hammers of various sizes hanging on the wall 🙆‍♂️... Bike mech of 9 years 😊

[@TheButlerNZ]

At some point in time you will always need a bigger hammer!

[@johnnydoe66]

All of our LBS shop mechanics areas are open for the customers to see and view. Of two of my favorites, you can just come in and chat, ask questions, and just exchange information about rides or trails while they work. "Pro" tip, buy your mechanics lunch or coffee, it goes a long way in building a good relationship with them when you show just a little appreciation.

[@mohenriksen321]

had to do 4 press fit bb's in the last week, one of them was probably the most destructive ive ever had to be in the workshop 😂 if the customers saw what i was doing to their bikes they'd have panic attacks. but when they are 2016 bikes and thats the same bb from factory you have to get creative once in a while

[@b.s.adventures9421]

I was a bike mechanic in Hawaii for over ten years. Rust and corrosion are a real problem out there. Uhhh.. yea.. you don’t want to do a lot of work while the customer is around. They would not understand the brutal force often necessary.

[@dems_mtb]

Awesome video! As a Vehicle mechanic in a small shop..only during winter were we behind closed doors lol

[@TheButlerNZ]

Mechanics work behind closed doors because we talk so much that we'd get nothing done at all otherwise.

[@nobodycycles16]

Very enjoyable bike maintenance video.

[@residentsparks]

Another great video! That trail was sure muddy!

[@Rose_Butterfly98]

The ones at the shop I usually go to don't. The workshop area is actually in the middle of the store. Yes all the knocking and everything, you can see it, it's like a bar counter.

[@scotterbrains]

Cool mtb vibe in that garage... 'preciate the vid!

[@frahzaadebrahim2705]

I'm a mechanic myself ,and I don't know why I'm too lazy to fix my bike but fixing other bikes that are not mine is always fun and calming to me and I don't know why

[@mikekrasovec6390]

One of keys to a magically easy to maintain bike is grease fittings. Zerk EVERYTHING. Honorable mention to middleburn cable oilers - lube ports for shift/brake housing.

[@richardgarza7083]

Ummm, thanks? Indeed, not for the obvious need for this, buuuuut...for being so brave as to mention something sooooo simple, and not to mention....ummm..................hammers.

[@mikekrasovec6390]

@@richardgarza7083 assuming a bottom bracket shell which is within recommend bearing tolerance (most carbon press fit isn't) hammers become a rarely used tool. When you add grease fittings - and actually use them (assuming that the bearings are properly sized) those bearings simply don't need replacement. I've definitely used hammers on customers bikes but I've also used bearing pullers, stem pullers (for seized quill stems), tube expanders... For my own bikes I'm used to starting with prepping the frame by polishing the inside of the seat tube, facing the headtube and bb shell, chasing the threads... then doing an actual pro build. Doing things such as adding zerks to the bb and pedals. I haven't gotten less than 30,000 miles out of a bottom bracket since 1996. I also use the proper lubricants, anti-seize, carbon assembly paste, loctite, beeswax, different types of grease for their applications and chain lube where it goes. I'm used to using the proper tools when wrenching a bike - which is rarely a hammer (3 out of the 5 shops I wrenched at had Phil spoke cutters and frame tables). My bikes work great and keep working great for a long time.

[@1Bigmac69]

Love your videos.

[@ARTFOSALEbyctd]

You are so lucky to have a workshop. How did you gain all this knowledge about bikes?

[@nno7532]

nothing beats old wet bottom bracket smell

[@SubversionGarage]

Manufactures need to eliminate BB altogether. Just machine bearing cups like the headset

[@4ortycrews224]

Thanks!

[@a8f235]

Going to try Threadfit when my pressfit BB takes a crap. I just don't have faith enough for pressfit in general, so I don't want to just hope that it might work(I got a pretty new bike so the first BB is still there with no issues. No point replacing it before it takes a dive.). Pressfit is just that one thing I dislike about the bike I chose, but even how hard you try it is hard to find a bike that will tick off all your wants even how much you can spend at it.

[@tomassanesson902]

Awesome 🤘❤

[@kjracz15]

I've never gone to a bike shop. I work on my bike myself but that one day of the month when I need to do maintenance & repair... I'm worn out by the end of it.

[@BrokenToolTrails]

Yuppppp really good video

[@herethere2518]

I don't know. I gladly run my neighborhood repair shop open to the customer and find customers are absolutely delighted to see the inner workings. Kinda like a restaurant with an open kitchen, it provides for spectacle and instills trust in the customer. I am also a tool geek though and find the proper tool for the job typically makes for a smoother and more presentable repair (some of your techniques seem rather questionable to me). Plus a well-organized shop showcasing almost every tool imaginable makes for great marketing and draws customers far and wide, plus makes offering classes in repair much easier.

[@MTB_Rider_96]

The right tool for the job. A screwdriver will work, but it's not the right tool for that job of removing the BB Bearings. But being a mechanic, you already knew that.

[@lb0538]

I think it is a bit different in the usa 😅 I am a bike Mechanic and my bike is always in perfect condition, when something is wrong or just nog as good as I want it to it gets a new replacement part. (Maybe I am weird because i race xc, but my bike is still always in perfect condition)

[@jayadams2771]

It's a great day when you get to break out the Hammer!

[@7R1LL10N]

Can focus behind closed doors. but good content ntl

[@MichaelRyanCaputo]

So is this what people mean when they say "mechanic owned" in for sale ads?

[@richardgarza7083]

Ya, your right....using a hammer on a bike is....ya. I just went and bought one of those amazing futuristic tools for such totally complicated jobs... A rubber mallet? Wow.

[@sgulden6276]

Never been to a bike shop where the work was done "behind closed doors".

[@anotheryoutuber_]

if you think bike mechanics do questionable things to bikes just wait till you hear about auto-mechanics

[@Rusty-Metal]

Oh boy, don't get Reginald Scot and Hambini here.

[@MetalTiger88]

cause we don't want customers complaining about how we work on their bike with a hammer while we are cursing... or else that customer might catch that hammer... ;D

[@JoshAllenberg]

Seems like it would make sense to simply pin two D-rings to the floor and basket strap your bike between them so you can bang away at any bearing without your bike moving at all

[@TheButlerNZ]

I have a ring on the ceiling where I can erect a block & tackle... so I can hoist said object aloft... and wheel a new one underneath... Problem solved!

[@JoshAllenberg]

@@TheButlerNZ your ceiling must be pretty high to have all of your bikes hanging from that one ring

[@TheButlerNZ]

@@JoshAllenberg Just a Big ring.... Replacing the roof was problemental...

[@JoshAllenberg]

@@TheButlerNZ should live in a bell tower and hang 50 bikes from the top

[@TheButlerNZ]

@@JoshAllenberg It would be "Bikes all the way down". Maybe hire a dirigible, then the sky's (and Max Payloads) the limit...

[@binhnguyenphu7585]

Your bike size s? And name of your bike? Please tell me! Thanks!

[@tomas7403]

Press fit of course 🤦🏻‍♂️

[@sebamilanesi3787]

hell yeahhhhh

[@siriosstar4789]

Well at least i know whereNOT to take my bike

[@siriosstar4789]

"this is my own bike and it's getting slightly rougher treatment " ? That's not even remotely believable as it is well established that people treat other peoples things with way less concern that they treat their own stuff.

[@jbcookiii]

Except when it's your job or career. I hit em all the same - as hard as necessary, no harder. We scratch our bike, big sad. We scratch a customer bike, then the boss (me) has to explain why that was allowed to happen. It's never a fun experience for anybody involved. It's already a fight to be perceived as professional, I mean bikes are just kid toys after all.

[@mumm-ratheeverliving3138]

Ha! Just like working on an old Ford.

[@SolarizeYourLife]

It's the bean burritos.... The actual press is not that expensive...

[@DirtyPandaMTB]

To be fair it’s the same for car / truck mechanics 🤣

[@fud1376]

If you regualy clean and look after your bike,nothing should be 'breaking' at all....!!!

[@garyboyle695]

I guess you've never seen anything break on a Pro's bike then?

[@joppek77]

In fact, the act of cleaning the bike may be causing issues due to water ingress. I've had issues with both hubs and bbs which didn't like getting wet. Unfortunately, my bikes need to be spotless since they're stored in my living room...

[@kjracz15]

I do... but it all depends on where I've been riding that month.

[@mountaincruiser817]

The shocking truth for me is that experienced mechanics use screwdrivers to remove PF bb's.

[@tobiashallingstad3531]

At home we all do… do you have any idea of how much the extraction tool cost? Right tool❌ violence and a flat head screwdriver✅

[@realDonaldTrump420]

Press fit is single use. Throw it away. Not serviceable.

[@hendriksiering9077]

Cleaning your bike is not a crime...

[@Marco-717]

Love your attitude and humor. Thanks for the tips. If your bike hated the change of weather and terrain switch to a hardtail. Problem solved 🤭

[@richardgarza7083]

Yep. DH ruined true blue mud thrashings. Damn bikes weigh a ton, billions of places for dirt to hide and destroy...aka break! Hardtails rule!

[@middnight3474]

Dood , WTF

[@renedemers3205]

Men do it better, yes women can do it, But I rather you make me a sandwich then not fix my bike. Not new age turmoil But History. Just saying. history doesn’t lie.