Anyone want to help me overhaul my bicycle?

[skeeter]

I’ve been enjoying bike rides lately. My bicycle, while in good condition, needs an overhaul I suspect. It’s from the mid-1990s so the grease in the bearings is almost 20 years old! I know there are several fantastic bike shops in the area but I really want to learn to do this myself. I have some tools but I’m probably missing some.

I know this is a long shot, but if there is an individual with mechanical abilities who’d like to help me overhaul my bike sometime please let me know. We could meet in my garage (Highpoint) or I could come to your garage if more convenient. I’d be happy to supply PBR and of course I’d pay for any parts we’d need to purchase.

WSB forums don’t have private messages so you can get in touch with me by responding to this CL ad.

http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/wan/4351340324.html

Thanks and good day!!

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[Sue]

Hi Skeeter,

I don’t know a thing about bicycle maintenance/repair, but I know that Cascade Bicycle Club offers various levels of classes (if you can’t find an individual to help). http://www.cascade.org/learn-classes/bike-maintenance-classes

Alki Bike & Board also offers a free basic maintenance/roadside repair class, although that sounds like it’s more basic than what you’re looking for. http://alkibikeandboard.com/repairclass/

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[JoB]

there are a lot of bike riders in this town..

i hope someone takes skeeter up on his request..

in spite of the fact that we don’t always agree politically..

skeeter is the kind of guy who will pass the favor and the knowledge along…

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[skeeter]

Thanks for the feedback and kind words JoB.

The class at Alki Bike & Board is fantastic. I did it several months ago and Stu was incredibly helpful getting some things on my bike fine tuned. But that class is just an hour long and focuses on emergency repairs to get your bike going. It wouldn’t cover an overhaul.

I know Cascade has some classes but they also tend to focus on smaller repairs. I’m looking for a more comprehensive overhaul. My guess is a professional could do an overhaul in about 4 hours which means it’d probably take me 8 hours with supervision.

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[homedk]

You might get in touch with the “DIY Bikes” folks. Last summer, they offered free bike tune ups at Youngstown on Sundays & seemed more than generous with their knowledge & time. You can run a search here on WSB to find out more, or visit their Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/pages/DIY-Bikes/526690160701064. Their FB site mentions an upcoming meeting of mechanics and bike enthusiasts at the Tool Library, March 6th, 6-9pm, http://www.wstoollibrary.org.

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[trickycoolj]

There are also a few bike co-ops in town, you can bring your bike there and there’s all the tools you’d need and a collaborative approach. I haven’t had a chance to try them myself but they were recommended to me when I was road bike shopping. I ended up going with a new bike since I had a big goal (Seattle to Portland) but my mountain bike is also from 1997 and needs some bigger TLC soon.

http://www.thebikery.org

http://bikeworks.org

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[skeeter]

The “DIY Bikes” is my solution, I think. They meet one or two days a month and teach a lesson each time. If I go to each session I bet I’ll have all the skills I need to overhaul my bike. Thanks all. West Seattle is an awesome community.

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[skeeter]

Trickycoolj you might want to check out DIY bikes. Your 1997 mountain bike probably needs all new grease in every set of bearings. Maybe some new cables, too. We can work on our bikes together if you want.

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[Jeff H]

Come by the West Seattle Tool Library this Thursday (March 6th) between 6:00-9:00 PM. Expect to get your hands dirty. ;)

I’ll be helping Stu (owner of Alki Bike & Board) again this year with DIY Bikes and we’ve been discussing free bike maintenance classes similar to Bike Works and The Bikery.

I just started updating the DIY Bikes website and we’re getting the organization more organized. More content is coming along with a list of more events, so check back soon!

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[skeeter]

Thanks Jeff H. I will be there. And yes, my hands better be dirty when I’m done! I need to learn some skills. My hope is to eventually get the skills to overhaul my own bicycle.

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[Author]

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