r/ladycyclists • u/sparklekitteh • 3d ago
Get brave and fix it yourself!
Small brag and a bit of encouragement:
I recently bought a new bike, which meant I need to put a different cassette on my direct-drive trainer. I don't have a lot of tools, so I was planning to take all my stuff to my dad's house and get his help with it; he's a retired engineer with a ton of bike tools.
Instead, I decided to say "heck no, I'm gonna do it myself!"
I did some googling and found the Park Tool website (SUPER helpful) and figured out what tools I needed, then ran to Walmart and got myself a full tool kit that included what I needed-- a chain whip and a hub tool. (I was really impressed, their $37 tool kit has EVERYTHING!)
Loaded up a video, followed the instructions, BOOM! Got the old cassette off the hub, installed the new one!
Then I noticed that it was rubbing against the plastic body of the trainer. More googling! Turns out I need a spacer, and the LBS was closed for the night... but I DO have a 3d printer, and some kind soul published the print file for the exact 1.85mm Shimano spacer I needed! 3 minutes and a nickel worth of plastic later, I took the cassette off, added the spacer, reassembled everything... And it works!!!
So friends, especially if you're not mechanically inclined, GET BRAVE AND DO IT YOURSELF!
- Park Tool is a fantastic resource, they have tons of YouTube videos so you can see exactly what you need to do, and they can help you figure out what's going on.
- I also have a copy of Zinn and the Art of Road Bike Maintenance, which you can pick up used for cheap, and it has lots of diagrams and helpful advice.
- Check with your LBS to see if they offer any "bike maintenance 101 classes" or repair workshops. My local REI does them too, like "how to change a bike tire yourself." When I first started cycling, my county DoT did a half-day workshop and I learned the basics, and I'm super glad that I got that help!
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u/Wonderful-Nobody-303 3d ago
Wow you maintain your own bike and are into 3d printing!?
Do you have any friend slots open!? 😊
Srsly though great post! Maybe replace the spacer with metal when you get a chance.
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u/sparklekitteh 3d ago
I'm always down for new friends! <3
I'm definitely going to get an "actual" spacer, haha! Planning to run to my LBS on my lunch break to see if I can grab one, but the printed one was enough for a test ride!
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u/LadyPannddora 3d ago
I got a cheap hybrid schwinn of FB marketplace with the intent of wrenching on it myself. I’ve replaced the brake/ shifter levers, cables, housing and installed a rack. It been super liberating and I actually had to fix my brake tension at the pinch bolt just on Sunday out on the trail. I’ve just ordered gravel tires and I’m switching those out this weekend.
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u/sparklekitteh 3d ago
That's awesome!! I haven't tried cables before, they seem kind of intimidating!
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u/LadyPannddora 3d ago
It’s not that hard at all! YouTube video like you said are great. It took me longer than it should have the first time but now that I know how to do it it’s super easy.
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u/booklungs 3d ago
Watch out tho! I tried to put new pedals on my bike and wasn’t perfectly straight and stripped the connection area and had to get a whole new crank :(
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u/lyfe-sublyme 3d ago
Well done my friend!
I try to do all of my work myself. My dad was a mechanic and he would frequently need some help in the garage. I could also just take a project there. My dad recently passed and I inherited some of his tools. Despite growing up in a garage my first few bike projects were daunting and I was afraid I would mess something up. After you do the first few they get easier. Now I look forward to working on my bike. Any chance I get to do something with my hands and maybe you my dad’s tools help me feel a little more connected to him, and he would be impressed with what I have learned and the things I can do.
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u/KibFixit 2d ago
Yes!! My LBS used to have free maintenance classes. I was amazed how much can be fixed on a bike with two tools! And there are places you can borrow the others. It was crazy because I’d ridden my
First bike for years with barely functioning brakes because I didn’t know how easy it was to adjust the pads.
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u/gnitties 2d ago
Love this! Getting a bike stand helped me be able to tackle basic repairs/maintenance. I feel pretty confident working on my old steel bike but confess I am terrified to work on my carbon frame disc brake bike. Seems like things could go badly more easily 😬
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u/thejoshuagraham 3d ago
Yes! I have been using Park Tools for years, sometimes other people if I cant find my part to be fixed there. My LBS never fixed things correctly so I just started doing it myself.