One thing I learned is to use the SAC-2 grip compound sparingly. I had a dropper seat post that slipped in my aluminum frame even after I tightened the clamp to the point that I thought it would crush the post itself, so I took some SAC-2, applied a generous amount to the post, and slid it in place. It only went about halfway in before I couldn't budge it, and it very nearly got stuck. Thankfully, I was able to pull it out with a fair amount of effort, wiped off most of the compound, and tried again. It worked much better the second time.
Chek and pay attention to tire pressures think is great info. Especially now tubed, tubeless, hookless, different different sidewalls, and much more changes pressures needed. Go to road wheels which have lower volume being more narrow those pressures can change drastically.
Something more specific I see all the time in my shop is people that over-tightened their seat clamp bolts on dropper posts. It's a great way to make your $300 dropper not move. I use friction paste instead of grease on dropper posts so I don't have to torque the bolt down so tight
I don't get why people do that, the one time i even tried tightening a seat clamp hard ( i had gone back to a regular post as my dropper had a non-fixable failure ) the bolt wanted to self-destruct before i even got half way to too tight. And it was not a crappy clamp either, that MF was 20 bucks from KCNC ( wich seems ridiculous for what it is but they had nothing else in the shop when i bought it, i know, there's probably way more expensive ones around, but still ). I never needed friction paste on my dropper, just torqued the clamp as intended wich got me ready to go.
Could go opposite way. Think hey saddle is fitted and torqued properly don't mess with it. After a while those bumps can loosen it. Had mine shift angle and forward aft position. Finished ride standing and needing re fitting.
@@John-k1b5m your case is different because carbon is involved, carbon STRICTLY NEEDS friction paste because otherwise you'll crush your components to bits, wich given the cost of carbon doesn't sound like fun
Brilliant advice on common - learning - mistakes on bike maintenance which I recently spent 2 1/2 hours learning how to remove a rounded shock bolt which I had applied too much torque to 😖😂 taking your time and being more careful certainly helps! Thanks for sharing GMBN Tech and guys from Park Tool 👍
I'm in the jewelry/lapidary trade and I've learned that overuse and especially "negligent" use of the ultrasonic cleaner can exacerbate wear by cavitation or the hardest metals. Inspect your chains for holes. Literally 😂
@@gmbntechBeing prepared, borrowing a tool from your trail kit and then not putting it back. That's definitely something I need to be more disciplined about. Not that it was in my trail kit, but I still have no idea where my first chain checker went, I finally had to go out and buy another one.
About the tire pressure, sram has a page where you can generate a pretty good starting point. Second thing nobody talks about is can the rims take the pressure ? Very easy to check on the manufacturer's website or manual.
Regarding squeezing tires with your hand to get a feel for tire pressure is a great tip. When I was a kid I did not have a tire pressure gauge on my manual bicycle tire pump and would just squeeze the tire to determine if it had enough air.
The biggest mistake to avoid: do not use improper tools! Before you mess with a reglar pair of tongues or scew drivers & hammer combi, ask a friend or go to a shop!
Is this like how they did radio shows back in the day? A star would send pre-rehearsed interview with notes to local radio stations and they would make their own show.
When i see comments of people complaining about emtbs that are on their 4th motor i can't help but suspect that a pressure washer was at least partially involved in such a saga. Yes there are sometimes manufacturing defects, but for it to happen more than twice it seems likely to be more than bad luck and some user error may be taking place. Be careful with pressure washers at trail centres... they are often far too powerful for the task of washing any bikes and will force water into bearings and electronics. Last time i used one i had to keep it 2 meters away from the bike to feel that i wasn't applying excessive water pressure.
IF you use a pressure washer don't use one of those cheap electric ones that have just a pencil thin stream, you need a stronger one with a fan pattern so you have a strong, but very thin fan sort of stream. I can get dirt off of flat surfaces easy but doesn't drill down into bearing seals as bad. Also be smart about where you apply the stream at what angle and how close you are too it.
The battery powered ones are great as they are less powerful. More power than a hose but not enough to easily damage stuff... though do still be careful where you point it.
@@andyarchitect my power washer is electric. They are okay to use on bike but you have to be careful of the stream. I use a fan pattern at about 4 feet away from the bike.
#ASKGMBNTECH In a recent video, Rich did a blind test on air vs coil shock. I understand that the fork wasn’t changed for efficiency & consistency in fork feel. Having only seen new bikes sold with matching suspension, I’m wondering if there’s ever a good reason to run a coil fork with an air shock, or vice versa.
Great insights from the ParkTools legends. Hands up I made a mistake with a torque wrench… TW 6.2. and I damaged it. It’s great that ParkTool can warranty or repair it. What’s not so great is the UK importer cannot do this and I have to send the (heavy) wrench to the U.S. The kicker is that the cost to do this, including the repair, is the same price as the wrench! Not great. Can ParkTool provide certification for the UK importer to service their equipment? The current situation isn’t environmentally friendly as a choice between shipping a wrench 6000 air miles or send it to landfill and buy a new one?
Don't put too much trust in torque wrenches. Most of the bolts i've broken in my life were from trusting the torque wrench either having it set wrong, the torque spec being incorrect in the manual, or my latest blunder, not realizing my wrench didn't measure in reverse on a left-hand thread. If it feels wrong stop and reassess, go back to the manual double check the wrench, look up a youtube video etc.
Same. Years ago I ruined a pair of carbon bars because of a faulty torque wrench (wasn't even old). Now I prefer to just use my own hands and judgement instead.
No single company makes every single tool perfectly. Different companies excel in different tools. Metric hex wrenches for example, Bondhus manufacture very good ones due to tight tolerances on hard-wearing proprietary tool steel alloy. Rear derailleur hanger alignment gauge, Abbey Bike Tools' HAG as it has the least amount of play among all rear derailleur hanger alignment gauges.
@yonglingng5640 I was being sarcastic, but your info is helpful. I bought the previous model Park DAG years ago. Didn't know about the Abbey HAG. I notice how unprofessional the DAG design feels while using it. I'm not running a race team so it's sufficient. I forgot about Bondhus. Checking out their torx now. Thanks
With regard to stripping the drive interface on bolts and screws, is there a good reason why hex isn’t being phased out entirely in favor of Torx? Torx is a lot more forgiving in my experience (as long as you use the right size)
It's also for brand new threads and a freshly calibrated torque wrench, unfortunately there are too many variables to consider to write down a torque for all of them. If you use a torque wrench, thread lock/grease (depending what's needed) and set it to the correct torque 99.9% of the time you'll be fine! 👍
You know this is common sense should be common sense. Your pressure washer should be set up to do 1000 psi and 2 gallons of water. The problem here is that people are using very cheap poorly executed pressure washing systems. No one in the bike industry has come up with 1000 psi 2 gallons of water, per minute safe pressure washer with proper wash methods. People are all over the placewith trying to clean their bikes. It’s absolutely horrible.
Psi isn't that important since you can adjust your distance. A backyard hose with adjustable nozzle is perfect if you presoak with something soapy. As they said, race mechanics powerwash because they're swapping all bearings anyway.
A tyre boot - is a tough self adhesive backed flexible plastic that you can stick on the inside of the tyre - to cover a sidewall slash - they're a great spare to carry - even more so if you're riding on trails with lots of sharp flint or other rocks. Park Tool make a great one - its called Emergency tire boot TB2. Cheers Owen
Yes but it depends. Tools are a lottery on Amazon I used to get laser cutting head for my engraver from the same vendor on Amazon when I converted another machine to a laser cutter I used the same vendor and got literally defrauded 😂
As a full-time mechanic, I'm often surprised at how much of fixing and tuning bikes is taken care of by cleaning and getting lube where it's needed.
Thanks to all of you for doing a link up. It's great to hear a bunch of experts chatting. Hope there will be more videos with Park Tool in the future.
Thanks for the effort putting up this videos. Even for someone with 10yrs experience these guys have so much wisdom to share.
Thanks for taking the time to watch! We're all constantly learning regardless of how experienced we are 👍
One thing I learned is to use the SAC-2 grip compound sparingly. I had a dropper seat post that slipped in my aluminum frame even after I tightened the clamp to the point that I thought it would crush the post itself, so I took some SAC-2, applied a generous amount to the post, and slid it in place. It only went about halfway in before I couldn't budge it, and it very nearly got stuck. Thankfully, I was able to pull it out with a fair amount of effort, wiped off most of the compound, and tried again. It worked much better the second time.
Calvin and Truman deserve their own Mount Rushmore.
I’ve always said Kelvin is like the cool uncle that teaches you stuff in a way that just makes sense and never gets mad if you mess it up.
Or perhaps, their likeness would make for a good tread pattern for your favorite mountain bike tyre. 🤷🏼♂️
Calvin, yes.
Chek and pay attention to tire pressures think is great info. Especially now tubed, tubeless, hookless, different different sidewalls, and much more changes pressures needed. Go to road wheels which have lower volume being more narrow those pressures can change drastically.
Something more specific I see all the time in my shop is people that over-tightened their seat clamp bolts on dropper posts. It's a great way to make your $300 dropper not move. I use friction paste instead of grease on dropper posts so I don't have to torque the bolt down so tight
I don't get why people do that, the one time i even tried tightening a seat clamp hard ( i had gone back to a regular post as my dropper had a non-fixable failure ) the bolt wanted to self-destruct before i even got half way to too tight. And it was not a crappy clamp either, that MF was 20 bucks from KCNC ( wich seems ridiculous for what it is but they had nothing else in the shop when i bought it, i know, there's probably way more expensive ones around, but still ). I never needed friction paste on my dropper, just torqued the clamp as intended wich got me ready to go.
Could go opposite way. Think hey saddle is fitted and torqued properly don't mess with it. After a while those bumps can loosen it. Had mine shift angle and forward aft position. Finished ride standing and needing re fitting.
Forgot to mention mine wasn't on a dropper post though just a full carbon road bike.
@@John-k1b5m your case is different because carbon is involved, carbon STRICTLY NEEDS friction paste because otherwise you'll crush your components to bits, wich given the cost of carbon doesn't sound like fun
Great info! I’ve figure a lot of this out on my own over the years and it’s handy to see it all recounted in one nice, easy to watch video compendium.
Brilliant advice on common - learning - mistakes on bike maintenance which I recently spent 2 1/2 hours learning how to remove a rounded shock bolt which I had applied too much torque to 😖😂 taking your time and being more careful certainly helps! Thanks for sharing GMBN Tech and guys from Park Tool 👍
I'm in the jewelry/lapidary trade and I've learned that overuse and especially "negligent" use of the ultrasonic cleaner can exacerbate wear by cavitation or the hardest metals. Inspect your chains for holes. Literally 😂
Great video guys, and excellent tips! I love these cross-overs.
Thanks for watching! What was your favourite tip?
@@gmbntechBeing prepared, borrowing a tool from your trail kit and then not putting it back. That's definitely something I need to be more disciplined about. Not that it was in my trail kit, but I still have no idea where my first chain checker went, I finally had to go out and buy another one.
About the tire pressure, sram has a page where you can generate a pretty good starting point. Second thing nobody talks about is can the rims take the pressure ? Very easy to check on the manufacturer's website or manual.
Yes, always respect the lower maximum pressure.
Brilliant vid. Learnt a lot but also reminded I am doing a lot right esp cleaning and inspection. Thanknk
Glad we could help, and happy to hear you're doing a lot right!
Regarding squeezing tires with your hand to get a feel for tire pressure is a great tip. When I was a kid I did not have a tire pressure gauge on my manual bicycle tire pump and would just squeeze the tire to determine if it had enough air.
The biggest mistake to avoid: do not use improper tools!
Before you mess with a reglar pair of tongues or scew drivers & hammer combi, ask a friend or go to a shop!
Is this like how they did radio shows back in the day? A star would send pre-rehearsed interview with notes to local radio stations and they would make their own show.
radio stations still do this
I mean, clearly Park Tools is paying GMBN for our eyeballs. It is another way of advertising their tools without being in your face about it.
Haha... Its sooo obvious.
This was a live chat between Owen and the guys from Park but we both filmed the interview on proper cameras and cut it together in post 🤙
@gmbntech Interesting
When i see comments of people complaining about emtbs that are on their 4th motor i can't help but suspect that a pressure washer was at least partially involved in such a saga. Yes there are sometimes manufacturing defects, but for it to happen more than twice it seems likely to be more than bad luck and some user error may be taking place. Be careful with pressure washers at trail centres... they are often far too powerful for the task of washing any bikes and will force water into bearings and electronics. Last time i used one i had to keep it 2 meters away from the bike to feel that i wasn't applying excessive water pressure.
Great video, we all can review bike maintenance.
IF you use a pressure washer don't use one of those cheap electric ones that have just a pencil thin stream, you need a stronger one with a fan pattern so you have a strong, but very thin fan sort of stream. I can get dirt off of flat surfaces easy but doesn't drill down into bearing seals as bad. Also be smart about where you apply the stream at what angle and how close you are too it.
I have a high quality pressure washer. It’s never used on my bike at close range.
The battery powered ones are great as they are less powerful. More power than a hose but not enough to easily damage stuff... though do still be careful where you point it.
@@andyarchitect my power washer is electric. They are okay to use on bike but you have to be careful of the stream. I use a fan pattern at about 4 feet away from the bike.
#ASKGMBNTECH In a recent video, Rich did a blind test on air vs coil shock. I understand that the fork wasn’t changed for efficiency & consistency in fork feel. Having only seen new bikes sold with matching suspension, I’m wondering if there’s ever a good reason to run a coil fork with an air shock, or vice versa.
Great insights from the ParkTools legends. Hands up I made a mistake with a torque wrench… TW 6.2. and I damaged it. It’s great that ParkTool can warranty or repair it. What’s not so great is the UK importer cannot do this and I have to send the (heavy) wrench to the U.S. The kicker is that the cost to do this, including the repair, is the same price as the wrench! Not great. Can ParkTool provide certification for the UK importer to service their equipment?
The current situation isn’t environmentally friendly as a choice between shipping a wrench 6000 air miles or send it to landfill and buy a new one?
Park Tool products in the United States is very expensive. I buy either their tools on eBay or other brands on Amazon.
Kelvin just dropped the word “Orthogonal” on us. 😮 🤓
Indeed, their dot product is zero...
I'm not the park tools guy but I own some, it's mostly because these guys 😂
*I painted a red dot on my T27. Don't ask why 😅
2:02 it’s also common round out bolts by using the wrong side of the wrench 😑😑
That side is used to extract damaged bolts.
FAIL = First Attempt In Learning
Don't put too much trust in torque wrenches. Most of the bolts i've broken in my life were from trusting the torque wrench either having it set wrong, the torque spec being incorrect in the manual, or my latest blunder, not realizing my wrench didn't measure in reverse on a left-hand thread. If it feels wrong stop and reassess, go back to the manual double check the wrench, look up a youtube video etc.
Same. Years ago I ruined a pair of carbon bars because of a faulty torque wrench (wasn't even old). Now I prefer to just use my own hands and judgement instead.
Is there a certain brand of tools you'd suggest?
No single company makes every single tool perfectly. Different companies excel in different tools.
Metric hex wrenches for example, Bondhus manufacture very good ones due to tight tolerances on hard-wearing proprietary tool steel alloy.
Rear derailleur hanger alignment gauge, Abbey Bike Tools' HAG as it has the least amount of play among all rear derailleur hanger alignment gauges.
@yonglingng5640 I was being sarcastic, but your info is helpful. I bought the previous model Park DAG years ago. Didn't know about the Abbey HAG. I notice how unprofessional the DAG design feels while using it. I'm not running a race team so it's sufficient. I forgot about Bondhus. Checking out their torx now. Thanks
@@bigshnitzeljesse You're welcome.
Is it the DAG-2.2?
Calvin rules
He's great!
With regard to stripping the drive interface on bolts and screws, is there a good reason why hex isn’t being phased out entirely in favor of Torx? Torx is a lot more forgiving in my experience (as long as you use the right size)
I’ve made all these mistakes. It’s usually because I’m not taking my time and rushing things.
Rushing could be the biggest mistake everyone will make!
Never, ever rush. Nothing good comes out of it.
RTFI
If you say my crankbolts are under tightened you're wrong. My big enough torque wrench start at 80 Newton meter 😅
Fyi torque are normally for clean dry threads. Once you put threadlock or grease on it the spec is different.
It's also for brand new threads and a freshly calibrated torque wrench, unfortunately there are too many variables to consider to write down a torque for all of them. If you use a torque wrench, thread lock/grease (depending what's needed) and set it to the correct torque 99.9% of the time you'll be fine! 👍
Nobody torques stem bolts dry, this is looking for trouble.
You know this is common sense should be common sense. Your pressure washer should be set up to do 1000 psi and 2 gallons of water. The problem here is that people are using very cheap poorly executed pressure washing systems. No one in the bike industry has come up with 1000 psi 2 gallons of water, per minute safe pressure washer with proper wash methods. People are all over the placewith trying to clean their bikes. It’s absolutely horrible.
Psi isn't that important since you can adjust your distance. A backyard hose with adjustable nozzle is perfect if you presoak with something soapy. As they said, race mechanics powerwash because they're swapping all bearings anyway.
Mistake #1: spending money on bike-specific grease and tools.
What the hell is a tyre boot? Never even heard of it.
A tyre boot - is a tough self adhesive backed flexible plastic that you can stick on the inside of the tyre - to cover a sidewall slash - they're a great spare to carry - even more so if you're riding on trails with lots of sharp flint or other rocks. Park Tool make a great one - its called Emergency tire boot TB2.
Cheers
Owen
@OwenBikeNerd Great idea, thanks.
dripping every joint on chain 🤣 Im sorry never gonna happen 😆
Definitely easier to do on my original XC / commuter MTB that had a kickstand...
It's time consuming but it'll save you from over/under lubing your chain, there are faster ways of doing it but it sacrifices consistency 😬
It's not that hard....
Park Tool or Amazon knock off tools for 1/2 the price 🤣🤭
Yes but it depends. Tools are a lottery on Amazon I used to get laser cutting head for my engraver from the same vendor on Amazon when I converted another machine to a laser cutter I used the same vendor and got literally defrauded 😂
you feeling lucky?
Because cheap tools are just such a joy to use and never made from terrible steel
I almost enjoy working on my MTB/EMTB as much as I enjoy riding my bikes……. With a whiskey and some tunes obviously.
I do the same it's like Zen isn't it? I have to back it off the beer though that start losing parts😂
Pressure wash my ebike almost every ride. 12,000 miles. Just be careful where you aim.
I almost enjoy working on my MTB/EMTB as much as I enjoy riding my bikes……. With a whiskey and some tunes obviously.