Author Topic: Your Top 3 Bike Fettling Time Consumers?  (Read 3130 times)

Your Top 3 Bike Fettling Time Consumers?
« on: 16 June, 2020, 11:11:42 pm »
For me in rough order of magnitude of faffage i.e time spent in getting them to work properly:

1: Disc Brakes
2: Front derailleurs
3: Tubeless tyres


Most of the stuff I say is true because I saw it in a dream and I don't have the presence of mind to make up lies when I'm asleep.   Bryan Andreas

Re: Your Top 3 Bike Fettling Time Consumers?
« Reply #1 on: 16 June, 2020, 11:17:07 pm »
Finding the right tool, regardless of the job.

Kim

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Re: Your Top 3 Bike Fettling Time Consumers?
« Reply #2 on: 17 June, 2020, 12:26:24 am »
In terms of faff-factor:

1. Front derailleurs.
2. Mudguards.
3. Rim brakes.

In terms of time actually spent dealing with:

1. Chains and chain tubes.
2. Cables.
3. Batteries.

(The 4mm allen key was in your back pocket and now it's on the floor behind you.)

zigzag

  • unfuckwithable
Re: Your Top 3 Bike Fettling Time Consumers?
« Reply #3 on: 18 June, 2020, 10:11:18 am »
least enjoyable and most time consuming:

1. washing/drying/cleaning/lubing - by far
2. cables
3. mudguards / cup&cone hubs / disc brakes

Re: Your Top 3 Bike Fettling Time Consumers?
« Reply #4 on: 18 June, 2020, 10:59:08 am »
1. Mudguards
2. Racks
3. Mudguards and racks trying to occupy the same 3D space.

Re: Your Top 3 Bike Fettling Time Consumers?
« Reply #5 on: 18 June, 2020, 11:41:29 am »
I've never found front derailleurs a faff, unless it's an indexed triple shifter in which case it's the work of the devil.
I am often asked, what does YOAV stand for? It stands for Yoav On A Velo

Re: Your Top 3 Bike Fettling Time Consumers?
« Reply #6 on: 18 June, 2020, 11:55:34 am »
If I interpret this as a list of things that take longer than they should, this would be my top three : -

1  Cable disk brakes
2  Wheel bearing adjustment
3  Wheel truing ('cos I don't really know what I'm doing)

 If, instead, it's the things I spend the longest total time on across the fleet of 14 bikes : -

1  Punctures
2  er ...   nothing else stands out really
Rust never sleeps

Re: Your Top 3 Bike Fettling Time Consumers?
« Reply #7 on: 18 June, 2020, 03:11:44 pm »
For me in rough order of magnitude of faffage i.e time spent in getting them to work properly:

1: Disc Brakes
2: Front derailleurs
3: Tubeless tyres

Interesting that two of the three are things that have been sold to the consumers as “ improvements, less hassle, the way forward”.

In terms of front derailleurs the Campag setting tool is a well- kept secret, but saves a load of hassle.

Kim

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Re: Your Top 3 Bike Fettling Time Consumers?
« Reply #8 on: 18 June, 2020, 07:31:29 pm »
To be fair, both disc brakes and tubeless tyres are a significant improvement ...on a mountain bike.

Personally, I find disc brakes easier to set up than rim brakes, because with a decent one you've only got to jibble one parameter at a time.  This seems to be a minority opinion, which I suspect comes from most people here having a lot more rim brake fettling experience than I do.  But even if they are more faff, they're worth it as soon as you care about consistent performance in the wet, or rim wear.  It's a reasonable trade-off, at least some of the time.

Similarly, I don't think anyone sold tubeless tyres as less hassle.  It's a way to avoid snakebites and reduce rolling resistance.  I suppose it saves all the hassle of smaller punctures up for when you eventually get a big one.

Re: Your Top 3 Bike Fettling Time Consumers?
« Reply #9 on: 18 June, 2020, 08:04:00 pm »
1.lubing chain
2. Fitting back wheel
3.nothing else

Number 2 is because I have a turbo wheel I swap in / out twice a week. So just have to readjust wheel to avoid mudguard rub after I’ve swapped back to my outdoor wheel.  Gears was reduced to no faffage by having both front and rear bar end shifters in friction mode. The hydraulic disc brakes just work, no rubbing, no squealing etc.

Re: Your Top 3 Bike Fettling Time Consumers?
« Reply #10 on: 18 June, 2020, 10:00:40 pm »
1. Checking I've everything for intended ride. Ie, tubes, pump, puncture outfit, whether to take a windproof/waterproof top.
2. Drivetrain cleaning, can't stand black gungy chain and cassette.
3. Not sure if this counts, but fitted bar end shifters as indexed ergo was never great with triple chainset. Now I FAFF, changing up and down the chainset. ( perhaps a 1 ×11 has its merits)

Feanor

  • It's mostly downhill from here.
Re: Your Top 3 Bike Fettling Time Consumers?
« Reply #11 on: 18 June, 2020, 10:41:10 pm »
1) level 1 maintenance: Basic drivetrain maintenance: chain / cassette removal/cleaning/replacing as required. Chainset in-situ cleaning. Brake pads as required.
2) level 2: as above, but add chainset and BB removal, inspection, cleaning or replacement.
3) level 3: as above, but with added headset inspection/replacement as required.

Cable replacement when I think it needs it.

Re: Your Top 3 Bike Fettling Time Consumers?
« Reply #12 on: 18 June, 2020, 10:47:58 pm »
For me in rough order of magnitude of faffage i.e time spent in getting them to work properly:

1: Disc Brakes
2: Front derailleurs
3: Tubeless tyres

Interesting that two of the three are things that have been sold to the consumers as “ improvements, less hassle, the way forward”.

In terms of front derailleurs the Campag setting tool is a well- kept secret, but saves a load of hassle.

Do it right, do it once 😉

Re: Your Top 3 Bike Fettling Time Consumers?
« Reply #13 on: 18 June, 2020, 10:54:02 pm »
Do it right, do it once 😉

True, but when you are presented with many bikes to fettle, you end up doing it right and once many times over, hence my OP :thumbsup:
Most of the stuff I say is true because I saw it in a dream and I don't have the presence of mind to make up lies when I'm asleep.   Bryan Andreas

Re: Your Top 3 Bike Fettling Time Consumers?
« Reply #14 on: 18 June, 2020, 11:01:38 pm »
Personally, I find disc brakes easier to set up than rim brakes

Cable and hydraulic are two different bags of worms. Hydraulics are maintenance free until they aren't, cable I never got on with.

Likewise for callipers and cantis. I find road callipers can be set up with complete indifference and work fine. Cantis never seem right.

Kim

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Re: Your Top 3 Bike Fettling Time Consumers?
« Reply #15 on: 19 June, 2020, 01:41:37 am »
Personally, I find disc brakes easier to set up than rim brakes

Cable and hydraulic are two different bags of worms. Hydraulics are maintenance free until they aren't, cable I never got on with.

Likewise for callipers and cantis. I find road callipers can be set up with complete indifference and work fine. Cantis never seem right.

I should clarify that I meant cable.  I own a bike with low-end hydraulic discs, but they're still at the maintenance-free stage.

Road calipers are merely fiddly.  V-brakes can work really nicely if set up well, but you may go insane trying to get there.  I last dealt with cantis in about 1995, when I didn't know what I was doing.

BB7s and their ilk are fine if you're systematic about the setup, and ensure the rotor isn't bent.  The main trick with cable discs is not to aim for silence in the workshop.  If it's not slowing the wheel down, minor rubbing noises usually disappear with a bit of riding.

Anyway, they're pretty low down in my annoyance and time consumption list, as they tend to stay working once set up, and taking up pad wear is trivial.

rogerzilla

  • When n+1 gets out of hand
Re: Your Top 3 Bike Fettling Time Consumers?
« Reply #16 on: 19 June, 2020, 09:14:55 am »
Discs are awful to own and fettle, which is why I gave up on them.

For me, it's

- smooth-post cantilever pad adjustment*
- chain cleaning
- cleaning derailleur-equipped bikes

*which can be reduced to a one-off job if you buy shoes with replaceable inserts but they are very rare and expensive for this type of fitting
Hard work sometimes pays off in the end, but laziness ALWAYS pays off NOW.

Cudzoziemiec

  • Ride adventurously and stop for a brew.
Re: Your Top 3 Bike Fettling Time Consumers?
« Reply #17 on: 19 June, 2020, 09:20:10 am »
I've found discs okay to work on. Mine are cable operated.

Rim brakes are okay if they're dps but Vs are a pain, too many interdependent components.

Mudguards. Once you've got them set up, they don't need to be looked at, but it takes about three goes to set them up right.
Riding a concrete path through the nebulous and chaotic future.

LittleWheelsandBig

  • Whimsy Rider
Re: Your Top 3 Bike Fettling Time Consumers?
« Reply #18 on: 19 June, 2020, 09:23:44 am »
Bike washing
Chain cleaning
Occasionally front mech fettling

I’ve not found cantilevers or V-brakes to be difficult to be set up. Setting up a lot of cheap cantilevers in the 1980s when working in bike shops has meant everything since then has been a doddle.
Wheel meet again, don't know where, don't know when...

Re: Your Top 3 Bike Fettling Time Consumers?
« Reply #19 on: 19 June, 2020, 10:48:16 am »
1) baking the bribe-goods
2) driving to the shop


All this bike care gets your hands dirty. Or worse, breaks your fingernails. Feck that.

T42

  • Apprentice geezer
Re: Your Top 3 Bike Fettling Time Consumers?
« Reply #20 on: 19 June, 2020, 11:17:24 am »
FIrst two like LWAB:

- washing
- chain cleaning

#3 is fixing/replacing stuff when I haven't done enough of the other two.
I've dusted off all those old bottles and set them up straight

Adam

  • It'll soon be summer
    • Charity ride Durness to Dover 18-25th June 2011
Re: Your Top 3 Bike Fettling Time Consumers?
« Reply #21 on: 20 June, 2020, 10:07:36 pm »
Bleeding SRAM hydraulic brakes.  Ridiculous load of faff.
“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving.” -Albert Einstein

vorsprung

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Re: Your Top 3 Bike Fettling Time Consumers?
« Reply #22 on: 20 June, 2020, 10:23:34 pm »
I guess really it is fiddling around with parts that are broken or worn or new but shite and trying to get them to work

Kim

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Re: Your Top 3 Bike Fettling Time Consumers?
« Reply #23 on: 21 June, 2020, 12:33:00 am »
I guess really it is fiddling around with parts that are broken or worn or new but shite and trying to get them to work

That, and schmoo management:  Either there's schmoo where there shouldn't be and you have to take things apart and clean or replace them, or there's insufficient schmoo where there should be, and you have to take things apart and apply fresh schmoo.