7 things your local bike workshop wants you to know

When a rider wheels their bike into our workshop with the drivetrain chirping like a field of crickets and all the parts that used to be silver now a furry black texture, we can usually tell what’s wrong before the client opens their mouth.

“Gears not shifting well?”, we’ll suggest.

The above is such a common experience, it leads me to write this list. Within it, you’ll find simple tips that could save you money, and, your mechanic from reaching for their fourth coffee of the day before 9am.

Undercover Mechanic

Cycling Weekly's Undercover Mechanic will be publishing his thoughts on the state of the industry once a month. He's been working with bikes for over two decades, offering servicing on models from some of cycling's best (and worst) marques. You'll find him at all major trade shows and events, just don't expect him to make himself known.

WD-40 is not lube

It is very common for a customer to walk in with a very squeaky chain, proudly telling us that they’ve given it a good spray with WD-40.

WD stands for Water Dispersal. When you spray this stuff onto metal that is meant to be lubricated or greased, it will simply wash away all of the good stuff. What it leaves behind is a thin, greasy film, that will not lubricate metal-on-metal contact.

This practice causes excessive wear on things like cassettes and chains. And, as soon as WD-40 gets anywhere near your disc brakes, it won’t just be your drivetrain singing to you.

Don’t lube a dirty chain

If your chain has started squeaking and you feel it’s time to apply some lubrication, just stop and think for a moment: was my chain black when it was fitted? If the answer is no, then stop before you waste an expensive product.

To properly clean your chain, use a purpose-designed degreasing agent, rinse thoroughly, then apply the lube to a clean, dry surface.

This also applies to chain waxing. There is a difference between having a good professional mechanic wax your chain and following the steps in a home kit.

A pro workshop will typically spend over an hour getting the chain clinically clean again before dipping into their large vat of hot wax. This is so the wax properly adheres and lasts for up to 1000 miles and doesn’t contaminate their wax. The home kits that some wax vendors now sell seem only designed to sell more wax, as the cleaning steps are not thorough enough. If you’re not using an ultrasonic cleaner, then you’re throwing away your wax.

Give your bike a once-over before dropping it off

Now I’m not asking for you to bring your bike into us with Concourse standard polish. But, bringing in a clean bike doesn’t just make our job easier, it will save you money. It’s far quicker to diagnose an issue when we’re not chipping calcified chain lube off of the jockey wheels.

If the brown muck on the front tyre smells a bit like dog poo, it probably is – we don’t want it in our workshop any more than you want it in your home. And, for the triathletes out there, please remove the 12 empty but still very sticky energy gel wrappers from your bento box.

Tell us if you had a go first

A common cause of raised eyebrows in our workshop is when a bike we regularly service comes in with an issue that “came out of nowhere”. On inspection, the bike has clearly been worked on by a less-than-competent mechanic.

There are a million ways for us to tell when someone else has worked on a bike before it arrived with us. We won’t be offended that you tried to fix it yourself, or, if you took it to someone else first. But please don’t bring in something that’s already been cocked up once and pretend that you’ve no idea where the issue came from.

Your poor planning is not our emergency, however far you drove

Just because you have driven for over an hour to bring your bike to us doesn’t mean we will drop everything and fix it while you wait. Ditto, if you have a race/event/other tomorrow and need the bike that’s been groaning for months to work perfectly right away.

Most well-organised workshops have scheduled work plans and a queue of jobs. Even if a while-you-wait repair can be squeezed in, parts may be required. So If you are travelling a distance, why not pick up the phone first – you might save yourself a lot of time. And if you’re targeting major events, consider bike prep something worth booking in in advance.

Please don’t touch your spokes

It’s quite a romantic notion to be able to take a spoke key to your trusty wheels and true them up, so they’re as good as new. But trust me, these days this isn’t as easy as tuning a guitar string. Modern wheels with straight pull and bladed spokes are increasingly temperamental when it comes to fine-tuning them.

We’ve had clients bring in wheels out of true that, upon inspection, have had their bladed spokes twisted like a corkscrew. Typically, when amateurs true a wheel, they tend to only tighten spokes; doing the job properly means tightening and loosening to balance tension. By only adding tension, you risk cracking the rim or destroying the nipples.

A packet of biscuits goes a long way…

Managed to ignore all of the above? Well, personally I’m partial to a Jaffa Cake, but if you’re going to cause your mechanic to go for that fourth morning cuppa, check in first so you can pick up their chosen accompaniment en route.