What's your highest skill level of DIY (do It yourself) bike repairs and maintenance? Rank yourself 1=Useless / 12=Grand Master
1. DIY? That’s what bike shops are for.
4% (4 votes)
2. I can change a bike tube out on the trails.
4% (4 votes)
3. I can re-join a broken bike chain.
1% (1 vote)
4. I can adjust the air pressure in my shocks.
6% (6 votes)
5. I can change my brake pads
2% (2 votes)
6. I can adjust my gear cables to stop them either jumping or missing gears.
6% (6 votes)
7. I can replace my derailleur and get the gears working again.
3% (3 votes)
8. I can replace my cassette and/or cogs.
12% (12 votes)
9. I can unbuckle my rims.
0% (0 votes)
10. I can change my bottom bracket.
9% (9 votes)
11. I can strip and replace the bearings in my hubs
6% (6 votes)
12. I can bleed my hydraulic brakes.
30% (30 votes)
13. I can service my shocks.
16% (16 votes)
Total votes: 99


I can...
2,3,4,5,6,7,8 and 12.
10 should be simple as they are only press fit bearings but i haven't tried yet.
All of the above
Cmon Greg, where is the "all of the above" radio?
Hey Pivot
I'd say you could then be called a junior Grand Master then
Pikey
Well "all of the above"
If you can do up to number 13 you would be a Grand Master!
Be careful people
I sense Pikey's bike is in need of a major service, including shocks, and he is trying to work who to ask ;-0
Pikey
Call me the mini master! oh and you did say level 12 was the grand master. so what does that make level 13?
You left out 14
Build your own wheels & keep them true,
and I read it three times
OK a level 13 + 14 = Lord Master Mechanic (plus at that level their just showing off ....and have a bloody good set of tools)
And if you can cut tube and weld your own frame then I bow before thee!!!
Greg
None apply if...
You work in a bike shop!
Pretty much nailed the order
Pretty much nailed the order of difficulty.
Pikey's grand master mechanic [pic]
Pikey
I can put you in touch with the right guy to service your ancient piece of machinery.
Met him on the trail in the Vietnam Highlands...he'll do a shock service for less than $ 10 bucks!
LBS: Local Vietnam Bike Shop!

He even beats the bush craft of the bike whisperer!
Rgds, Hans
__________________
May all your lines be the right ones...
He could be Gazza's next 24 hr support member?
You have to love getting your hands dirty
http://nobmob.com/node/497
Greg
What if I make my own tools?
Pikey, what have you started....?
Blowing my trumpet, but now that I have a lathe, I make my own 'special' tools for fitting bearings & headsets, pretty handy with a TIG welder, spray paint frames, and used to do custom machining for a frame builder, build wheels, once built ultralight racing wheelchairs as a job for paraplegic athletes, and of course all of the above.
I worship you Lord Whisperer!
At this early stage of voting you are going to be hard to beat.
Anybody here worked on the space shuttle?
Greg
Note to self, never buy a second hand bike from whisperer
there's a good chance it'll be a "cut and shut"
sh$t, too late, what have I done?
Hammer and wood
I thought the special tool for fitting a headset was a hammer and two blocks of wood
Am I capable as a No. 5?
Thinking of putting on some new cranks, but as a no.5 on this list, should I give it a go or leave it to the pros (CRC way cheaper than LBS)? Also, I have a new XT BB, but want to install SLX cranks, will they be compatible?
BWOAR!
I work on......
.....gas/steam turbines, turbo compressors, pumps etc. what number is that ?????
...built my own Hadron Collider
I've built my own Hadron Collider from some parts I had laying around...does that count?
Rgds, Hans
________________________________
"I thought of that while riding my bike."
Albert Einstein, on the theory of relativity.
Hans.
That looks like my old second hand particle collider that i threw out last week. you didnt build that at all!
Looking at ......
.....this information we should be building spaceships not bikes......Mars anyone ?.... no Rangers there !!!!!!!
football field
But with no trees either, wouldn't Mars' singletrack be a little like the football field analogy from Rob?
S'pose it would be like Stromlo 12 months ago?
Olympus Mons...
... = biggest DH run ever. So big the summit pokes outside the atmosphere.
but mars needs guitars...
but mars needs guitars... Bikes wont help
A poll for bike shops
As this is the highest responded poll in our history I wonder how many bike shops have taken note ?
Greg
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(I could be wrong)
The home mechanic (acording to bike shops) are Evil and must have their arms broken
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Derailleur hangar re-threading
I stripped the thread in my fixed hangar on the scummer last week....
Here's the story how I fixed it:
http://nobmob.com/node/9841
Level 14
It is why they call him the Whisperer!