Bike maintenance?

[prettybillie]

Hi Girls - and pervy boys.

I really need to learn how to maintain and fix the little things on my bike. To the extent that I don't even know how the change the tyre

Anyhoo, how did you girls learn to do all this sort of stuff and is there a course, book to read or whatever that will help me?

Cheers

[FROSTY:Me]

keep an eye out on the wendsday night thingee.Really soon we are gonna do a spanner night.

[prettybillie]

keep an eye out on the wendsday night thingee.Really soon we are gonna do a spanner night.

oooooh can you totally make sure I am on the list for that!!!!!

[FROSTY:Me]

have a looksee

[R6_kid:Me]

Changing a tyre isn't common mechanical knowledge - not for a motorbike anyway. FWIW its a bit of a bitch and well worth the $30 you get charged to have a bike shop fit and balance it!

[disenfranchised]

I enrolled for the Rutherford Community Education course.
$50, run by Wild West Honda over 3 nights (once a week)
The course is running at the moment, and the next round is starts in May I think....

Only done the first session so far, which covered identifying everything, what problems to check for.
Next session we bring in our own bikes and will do things like brake pads, oil changes.
Dunno what the third session will cover....engine stuff I expect.

[Nasty]

Personally, wouldn't want to change a tyre ... would be dumb to attempt without the equipment that really is not common to most households.

Common everyday things I attended a basic maintenance course held at a local bike shop - went through the stuff that Grub used to look after - oiling chains, tyre maintenance, oils etc etc ....

Apart from that ... find someone who knows what they are doing, I am sure Jrandom would help, and get them to help you do what you need. Which is the other side of what I did ... I call it watching and learning - a good skill to have.

[retro asian]

and pervy boys.

So which page has stuff we can perv at?

Like R6 Kid said, I don't ever plan to change my own tyre... Cycletreads do such a good job!

If I ever want to do something mechanical I google it......Google knows everything!!

[prettybillie]

Changing a tyre isn't common mechanical knowledge - not for a motorbike anyway. FWIW its a bit of a bitch and well worth the $30 you get charged to have a bike shop fit and balance it!

But what if you're on the track or can't get the bike to the shop cause it's got a flat tyre????

[R6_kid:Me]

Go see if you can track down a racer as they tend to have tyre irons and neccesary other tools - show cleavage, batter eyelids, and cross fingers for success?

But then if you weren't planning to get a flat you probably wouldn't have a spare tyre with you - i don't know many people other than racers that take extra tyres to trackdays.

Puncture repair kits are good to know how to use. I have an old tyre of my gixxer if you'd like to practice on it.

[3umph]

But what if you're on the track or can't get the bike to the shop cause it's got a flat tyre????

then you need to learn to be able to remove the whole wheel (front and rear) from the bike then take that to the shop...

otherwise its a call to the shop to get them to pick it up if the bike is your only transport...

I could change a tyre but whats the point for a few $$ the shop can fit and balance... for something you may struggle with doing and need a compressor as well to seat the bead...

just my 10c.... now where is the perving???

[Nasty]

But what if you're on the track or can't get the bike to the shop cause it's got a flat tyre????

That is an entirely different situation ... and does not necessitate changing a tyre. There are many different kits available ... and using them is really simple - follow the instructions that come with it. Mind you if you choose the one with CO2 make sure you have an extra canister or two ... just in case its needed in order to get you to the nearst station.

[The Pastor]

when it comes to the next time you have to do somthing on your bike - change the oil etc. ask on here for somone to come show you. its pretty easy and most people are willing to help out.

fwiw, i learned by (wearing nikes and) just doing it. got in there, got stuck a lot but kb's good for help

[3umph]

when it comes to the next time you have to do somthing on your bike - change the oil etc. ask on here for somone to come show you. its pretty easy and most people are willing to help out.

fwiw, i learned by (wearing nikes and) just doing it. got in there, got stuck a lot but kb's good for help

Yip thats the way... a lot easier by being shown what to do then reading what to do most of the time

[Trudes]

I got a very good friend (my sister/brother husband ) to help and show me how to do all the stuff I'd ever want to do myself, so maybe ask around if there is someone close by who would be willing to spend a day giving you a hand to give your bike a service, best way to learn. (And when I need new tyres I will pay the extra $30 or so to get them fitted at the shop I buy the tyres from, I've heard they're a bitch to do, so why bother. Tyres are pretty bloody important on a bike and I'd rather someone with the right tools and knowledge did them for me)