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Does your bike run perfectly?

sanjuro

Tube Smuggler
Sep 13, 2004
17,373
0
SF
Watching the XC race, I can hear how perfectly the racers' drive train are running.

My own daily-ride hardtail is barely running. The chain is not shifting well into my 2nd cog, and there is an annoying which I suspect is a hairline crack.

I know what I need to do to get it running smoothly, but I don't have the time to get it done right, like a hanger alignment.

What would be great is a new drivetrain every 6 months, and in my case, a warranty on the frame.

Are your bike perfect?
 

dhmike

Turbo Monkey
Dec 20, 2006
4,304
43
Boise Idaho
My dh and trail bike run smooth but my road bike has a flat , shifts bad and hasn't been riding in months . I have my priorities in order .
 

rav400

Monkey
Aug 31, 2009
177
6
The Right Coast
My DH bike needs the rear brake bled. Bad. Also the current saddle creaks.

My trail bike could use a new saddle. The current one is old and creaks a lot. I should also get around to shortening the rear brake hose. The left pedal feels funny. I think the body is a little loose.

My DJ could use new tires and the gear ratio seems a little low. Its pretty good for street riding, but at the BMX track I could use more top end.

My DH bike and trail bike both have shimano drive trains so they run pretty smooth most of the time. :D
 
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worship_mud

Turbo Monkey
Dec 9, 2006
1,464
2
DH bike is in perfect running order, even the tubeless tires are holding their air :D
XC bike has flat tires, the DJ makes strange noises, but that's ok.
 

JohnE

filthy rascist
May 13, 2005
13,430
1,949
Front Range, dude...
My daily rider(s) are great. Put the FS rig in the stand for an hour of tlc the other day, went out for a spin around the local wald and30 mins into it it started shifting wonkily...brand new XT rear, kept throwing into the little ring when I got into the higher rear cogs...stupid bikes...
 

bean

Turbo Monkey
Feb 16, 2004
1,335
0
Boulder
Both of mine are running well. I get annoyed pretty quickly when they won't shift properly or are loud, so I adjust them when they do.
 

Banshee Rider

Turbo Monkey
Jul 31, 2003
1,452
10
All 4 of my primary bikes run perfectly. A few minutes in the repair stand after each ride making sure interfaces are clean and nothing got haggard during the ride results in a bike that's ready to go the next morning. I've got a good routine for keeping up with them, and the only day I don't pedal each week is Monday. 20 minutes after each ride is all it takes.
 

canadmos

Cake Tease
May 29, 2011
20,189
19,155
Canaderp
I am a poor as hell student, so there are quite a few issues with my bike.

Squealing brakes, possible worn out shock bushing, ****ty broken Crank Brothers Mallet pedals, worn out bushings in the frame (its a Banshee Spitfire, so not entirely my fault), 4th gear ticks...and its currently sitting in my shed covered in mud from a ride on Friday. :)

It might not sound the best, but it still hauls ass and keeps on going. Time to go hose it off and give it another thrashing.

:headbang:
 

amishmatt

Turbo Monkey
Sep 21, 2005
1,263
396
Lancaster, PA
Four bikes, and pretty much the only time they aren't running perfectly is when I'm waiting for parts to be delivered.

I just tore my DH bike down to the frame after two muddy days at Snowshoe last weekend. Complete rebuild with new pivot bearings, bottom bracket, cables, brakes pads, and anything else that needs replaced. I can't stand riding a bike that isn't working right.
 

Serial Midget

Al Bundy
Jun 25, 2002
13,053
1,896
Fort of Rio Grande
All my bikes run smoothly mainly becauce I gave up tinkering with them about 10 years ago - all I do now change tires & tubes. I'm a fan of the under paid shop mechanic and try to find those with mechanical engineering degrees - theres a surprising number out there.
 

lovebunny

can i lick your balls?
Dec 14, 2003
7,310
209
San Diego, California, United States
I'm a fan of the under paid shop mechanic and try to find those with mechanical engineering degrees - theres a surprising number out there.
its a well known fact that there are many people who work in bike shops who are "supposed" to have some other career.

speaking of which, ever since i started working on bikes 8 hours a day my 6.6 now has a flat tire, worn fork bushings, and is missing a chainring bolt.
 

Serial Midget

Al Bundy
Jun 25, 2002
13,053
1,896
Fort of Rio Grande
its a well known fact that there are many people who work in bike shops who are "supposed" to have some other career.

speaking of which, ever since i started working on bikes 8 hours a day my 6.6 now has a flat tire, worn fork bushings, and is missing a chainring bolt.
The best mechanics have the crappiest cars... Always! :)
 

JRogers

talks too much
Mar 19, 2002
3,785
1
Claremont, CA
My Dh bike has not been used in a long time and would take a good amount of work to get in running order. FS bike is good but the rebound dial on the fork just spins and seems to be stuck at a pretty fast position; rear hub seems a drag a bit too. Hardtail, which I ride the most by far, is pretty good but the shifting could use some work, rear tire has a hole I need to fix for using tubeless (tube in it for now) and the BB creaks a bit. Road bike is good. Commuter needs a new drivetrain and a ton of stuff....but it still works. Never had everything running perfectly.
 

Polandspring88

Superman
Mar 31, 2004
3,066
7
Broomfield, CO
My one bike is pretty good st the moment. Helps that I put in about 4 hours of work over the past few days tightening and adjusting all of the things I had neglected. Seems to be pretty smooth now. Only thing it could use is some bearings in the rear wheel. But that's my fault.
 

Luckybikes

Monkey
Jan 29, 2006
162
1
Dracut MA
My DH bike is in shambles but i haven't ridden it in a year and don't for see it going for a ride anytime soon. My other bike is in pretty good shape other than my fork started topping out pretty bad the last time i went out on it, but it isn't annoying me enough that i will do something about it yet.
 

jacksonpt

Turbo Monkey
Jul 22, 2002
6,791
59
Vestal, NY
Perfectly? No. But then again, I don't ever expect to have an unlimited budget or a pro mechanic/staff at my disposal, so I'm pretty sure "good enough" will have to be good enough. Which, to this point, it always has been.
 

ALEXIS_DH

Tirelessly Awesome
Jan 30, 2003
6,147
796
Lima, Peru, Peru
hells no.

one of my seat rails is slightly bent, from a hard landing to flat.
my casette skips in a couple of gears when pedalling hard
my brake levers have a lot of play.
my shifter has a lot of drag.
i think the right crank is a little bit bent, from hitting a rock at 30mph.

my bike could use some love... thing is, i havent been riding that much lately (like once a month), so i dont see a point in fixing all those things for now.... maybe ill just replace the whole bike soon.
 

boogenman

Turbo Monkey
Nov 3, 2004
4,290
973
BUFFALO
My bikes are all clean and running great, I was a mechanic for may years and am pretty anal. My trail bike fork does need the lube oil changed soon.
 

Jim Mac

MAKE ENDURO GREAT AGAIN
May 21, 2004
6,352
282
the middle east of NY
DH bike = yes, but haven't had much time on it...dusted the cobwebs off the spokes before hitting Platty yesterday.

BMX cruiser = yes.

Trail = eh....needs love and is the workhorse, but I'm going to see if I can stretch it out a bit more. Needs a chain and/or drivetrain, new hanger and/or rear mech - it's bent but still shifts OK. Rotors need some love and the oil in the fork needs changing.
 

rockofullr

confused
Jun 11, 2009
7,342
924
East Bay, Cali
Trail Bike = Cash Money!

DJ = Fork needs oil and rear wheel is developing a hop :( garage is a mess and I don't want to be out there cleaning in 100* heat.

I know what I need to do to get it running smoothly, but I don't have the time to get it done right, like a hanger alignment.
Sanjy, buddy! Hanger alignment is easy peazy.
 

sanjuro

Tube Smuggler
Sep 13, 2004
17,373
0
SF
As an ex-mechanic, I hesitate dropping my bike off with any other mechanic.

Which is instead of one perfect bike at any time, all my bikes are just running.
 

OGRipper

back alley ripper
Feb 3, 2004
10,647
1,116
NORCAL is the hizzle
Except for my fixie, all of my bikes have an issue of some kind. I tend to forget once I put the bike down, then remember as soon as I click in again. :rolleyes:
 

rockofullr

confused
Jun 11, 2009
7,342
924
East Bay, Cali
As an ex-mechanic, I hesitate dropping my bike off with any other mechanic.
Understandable. I'm just a lucky guy I guess. The shop I used to work at lets me come in and use their shiny expensive tools when it's not busy (also their mechanics are guys I worked with years ago and they know their sh!t).