Basic Bike Maintenance At Home | GCN Tech Crash Course Ep.1

Fixing and maintaining your own bike is really rewarding. Being able to look after your own equipment and keep it running smoothly will make your riding much more enjoyable, and even save you money! However, if you've never worked on a bike before, it may seem quite daunting - but it needn't be! In this new mini series, Alex gives you a crash course in bike maintenance, so you can work on your bike with confidence! If you're keen to get into home mechanics, this is a great place to start!

#Cycling #GCN #GCNTech #RoadBike

Let us know what you thought of our new Crash Course series in the comments below!

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Music - licensed by Epidemic Sound:
ES_Do Tell (Indie Pop Version) - Niklas Ahlstrom
ES_Fine with You Gone (Instrumental Version) - Particle House
ES_Go Go Go - Beau Joseph
ES_Stranded in Miami - Alexandra Woodward

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[jaredlash]

It's always funny when they mention the mechanical shifters almost like they're an afterthought even though that's what the vast majority of bikes use.

[Bikepackingjack]

I cannot stress how much I wanted a series like this!

[tomb]

Rim brakes - the ‘other’ braking option :-(

[miguelmatallanes]

DO NOT USE HAND TOOLS!!!! ITS A HUGE WASTE OF FUCKING TIME!!! Get ratchets! And metric heads!!! DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME WITH FUCKING HAND TOOLS!!

[alexcharles]

I love the idea of this series (and will be sure to follow along) let's be serious, those who would benefit most from this aren't likely to be running Di2s or have a proprietary aero seat post. The Orbea is a cracking bike to be sure, but something fully mechanical with standard fittings would benefit the non-mechanics most when trying to replicate what they see in the video.

[BTcycle]

If they had this kind of class in school, I would have been the first one to sign-up.

[locasailor]

Can you just for sake of continuity keep it biggie smalls.. the whole community has to abide by it when sending in photos :D

[sepg]

Rim brakes is not the "other" braking option, it is the main one.

[mikesmith]

Good luck finding a Phillips screw on a bicycle! They are JIS screws, and when I started using the right screwdriver, it was a revelation. (Campagnolo only used slotted screws, hex or Torx.)

[marjorieboissinot]

That’s just what I needed! I have the book and basic tools but lacking some on the vocabulary in English (#frenchborn 🤣). Thanks Alex and @GCNTech! Best resource for a newbie cyclist learning everything during lockdown. 👍

[paolosupino]

Great idea!!! But a little too shallow for a start :-( The amount of details of what makes up a bicycle was too low. I would have mentioned the frame (as a whole and than its parts) cranks, wheels, tyres to name a few. I hope the level will go up as the series progresses...

[martinstaveley]

Thought Hank would be doing the crash courses with all his experience!😄

[jeremypritchard]

I dropped the hint a couple of weeks ago that if my kids would be kind enough and would like to buy me a father's day present this year then I'd really appreciate the GCN maintenance book. I saw my wife write it down so it's looking good 🤞😄

[knife]

lol you should of probably used a more mid range bike for your overall example

[pascalteddy]

Nice video, everyone has to start somewhere. This i certanly a series i would have liked back in the day when I first startet at doing my own maintenance!

[ironhanglider]

I welcome the new series, it has promise. However the most glaring omission from Episode 1 is that Shimano doesn't use Phillips head (or Pozidrive) screws to adjust their derailleurs. The cross-headed screws Shimano use are Japanese Industrial Standard (JIS). JIS screwdrivers should be a part of the toolkit of anyone who works on Japanese parts.

[xtrailz]

I watched the video but my bike has lots of wires hanging out of it. should I cut them off before riding?

[justinbouchard]

I'm hoping you touch on "if you're new to carbon bikes, here's some tips to help you not break it..." stuff :)

[alexkawasaki]

This is awesome, honestly, but this makes me wonder. How does someone become a bike mechanic? It's a bit of a dream of mine, I've been working on my own bikes for a couple of years now, i got all the basic tools and stuff but how exactly do you become a "mechanic"? Are there courses or certifications to get? Do you just go at your local bike shop and beg them to teach you the art? I'm from italy btw if that makes any difference

[jamesmckenzie]

Alex as a mechanic? Best person for the job!