Tag: Quick n’ Dirty

Most people view bike fitting as a scientific discipline, especially those who treat cycling as a sport. Why don’t you view the following images of several bike fitting professionals in action and then decide for yourself.
Do you want this bike fitting professional to massage your shoulders while you’re getting your bike fit?

We’ll, if you’re paying $175 and you’re already riding on a trainer without a shirt on, why not? It’s included in the package, right?
Maybe this is standard procedure. It appears that this second bike fitting professional is tickling the knee of this male cyclist, sporting the always classy, bibs only look.

“Knee, tell me which way I should move his saddle.”
And yes, ladies, bike fitting is for you too. You can pay these two gentleman $100 to inspect your buttocks and say things like “from the way you’re moving your pelvis, it’s clear that we need to go the custom route.”

Enough fun. Here’s the handout – QnD_Fit. There is some truth to Bontrager’s 3 basic measurements and KOPS, but the best way to figure out what fits you is to ride a lot on many different bikes.

It’s brakes, not breaks! Every cyclist should now how to adjust brakes because in most cases, YOU NEED them to finish a ride. I once witnessed Bike Co-op founder, Rafael, use a piece of bark in place of his brake pad when it mysteriously disappeared mid-ride. A lesser mechanic would have called it a day and walked back down the trail. Instead, Rafael rode that piece of bark all the way down Hewlett’s Gulch. The point of this story is that you should learn to work on your brakes! They won’t stay properly adjusted forever.
During class, we introduced the most common brake styles and discussed common brake issues with wear and adjustment. We also discussed some of the fundamentals of cable routing. Check out the handout – QnD_Brakes.

Week 6 was packed with useful information. What are those screws on the front and rear derailleurs? In what order should you make the various adjustments when installing a new derailleur? What shifters work with which derailleurs? What is needed to index a shifter and derailleur?
We answered all this during week 6! Check it out – QnD_Drivetrain2.

Are you having shifting problems? Is your chain slipping? There are a ton of compatibility issues to consider with drivetrains. Here’s some basic information to get you started.
Check out the handout! QnD_Drivetrain1

Week 4 focused on wheel work. Working on wheels is one of the more difficult tasks mechanics face at the Bike Co-op. There’s a lot that can be done to fix a damaged wheel, but it’s just as important to know when to call it quits. Make sure to read the troubleshooting page! It has a lot of advice from Tim on how to prioritize wheel work to avoid working on wheel that has a fatal flaw.
Check out the handout! QnD_Wheels

Five strong cyclists braved the first and only rainy day of 2012 to attend the third installment of the Quick n’ Dirty Education Series. We discussed the pertinent details that every Co-op volunteer should know about hubs. Here’s the handout – QnD_Hubs. For those who didn’t attend, I hope you have high-quality, sealed-cartridge hubs so you can roll on trouble-free until the next time we cover this subject. Next week, we’re going to cover wheel truing, spoke replacement surgery, and minor rim repairs. See you there.

Week 2 of the Quick n’ Dirty class focused on bottom brackets. We talked about many of the common styles and demonstrated installation of a one-piece crank/bottom bracket and a loose-ball, square taper bottom bracket. We also covered troubleshooting tips, how to find compatible replacement parts, and how to select the proper bottom bracket for your frame. Here’s the handout:  QnD_BottomBrackets.

We held our first installment of the Quick n’ Dirty Bike Education Series this week. The focus was on headsets – what they do, how to remove them, how to service them, and how to install them. Next week we’ll talk about bottom brackets. Wednesday 9/5/2012 at 5:30pm.
Here’s the handout from the first class – QnD_Headsets.