Tips and tricks for noobs

General Help
1

So there is allot of banter around the place about answering questions from noobs. Lets face it as some point we all have asked a dumb question whether it be on here or in the lbs. I was once told by my grand father that there is no such thing as a dumb question. This is slightly true and a dumb question to us may not be to another person.

The idea of this thread is giving a piece of advice to new people about either building, buying, riding, fixing or how maintain a fixed wheel bike.

Don’t know if it will work or if it has been done before but it would help if everybody keep it nice and on track in here with you own little pearl of wisdom.

To start:

Buy the best chain whip and C spanner you can and torque that cog up!!

MOD EDIT: this is a good idea for a thread. However - If you post rubbish your post will be deleted.

2

Always were bike gloves, I found out the hard way :stuck_out_tongue:

3

When choosing a frame, find out if it was designed for 700c wheels. Many old frames are designed for 27" wheels which means if you try to put 700C wheels on them the clearances are going to be huge and the BB height is going to be lower meaning more chances of pedal strike. Also the choice of brakes for 700c wheels on 27" frames is very limited.

TL;DR: 700c wheels go on 700c frames, 27" wheels go on 27" frames, not the other way around.

4

Measure twice: cut once.

5

Dont post your bike on a public forum if your gonna cry cos someone says it looks a bag of ass

6

Buy only good quality cogs and lockrings (phil, dura ace, surly), and have them installed by someone who knows how to do it properly.

When removing cranks, use the right crank puller and take the washer out before you put the puller in.

I’m not sure why your coke habit is relevant here.

7

Beware of any product marketed as ‘fixed gear specific’…

8

Don’t buy quando wheelsets

9

and never cut while half cut, it never works out.

10

Sheldon Brown-Bicycle Technical Information

11

Left pedals and the drive side of English threaded bottom brackets are reverse threaded.

There is no ‘normal’ size seatpost.

When putting tyres on, put the tyre logo where the valve hole is. It makes it easier to check if anything in the tyre caused a puncture.

Always check your tyre when you get a puncture. Then check it is sitting properly before pumping it up.

Use foot retention if you aren’t running a front brake.

12

The haters shall suck thy balls.

13

Don’t bother, you’ll inevitably sell it to buy a cx bike.

14

If you’re running drops, the ends of the bars should line up (more or less) with the rear brake bridge.

NO:

YES:

15

And, as a quick aside, wrap your bars. At least partially. It isn’t cool to slip off them while riding over a bump in the rain, thus acquiring a large lump on the head.

16

If converting a road bike, resist the temptation to peel/file/grind off cable guides, derailleur hangers etc. You’ll most likely regret it, I do.

17

So true.

At least wear gloves and plug the ends of your drops. Core samples out of legs aren’t fun.

18

Go to your LBS and ask if they have any used 700c tires and or tubes that they have changed off bikes.

People come in all the time to Bike shops to get new tires and tubes fitted.
and why would they take the old ones with them?

sometimes you can find great tires that work perfectly with no damage and without paying $80+ a tire
sometimes you’ll get crappy tires but hey they are great for practicing skids on.
and it doesnt take much effort to patch an old tube. save money rather than buying $8-$12 tubes. great for spares to carry

19

Colour coordination is nice, but not at the expense of functionality. Spend your money on good quality components, not ones that come in a dazzling array of fancy colours.

20

And you’ll just end up buying black or silver components anyway…