Wow, Andy I have been a bike mechanic for several years and you have distilled down what is really required to tune up a bike plus a lot of the tricks and shortcuts into 11:57 min. You truly are building the bike community with extremely well done KZread video productions that are concise and professionally produced. In Canada we do not have access to Harbour freight so I improvise with rag in box, isopropyl alcohol and nitrile gloves from Costco. I use Dawn PowerWash to clean the whole bike and then clean the whole house Lol 😂. Highly encourage every mechanic to use nitrile gloves to prevent harmful chemicals was a mechanic for 45 years. Saluda.

"Good Job Andy" will sail right over a lot of heads on this one 😂 Bravo

@bkefrmr

2 ай бұрын

it’s a “thou” in Brodie’s shop

Would love to get a high quality pic of your tool wall. I'm working on one, but yours looks WAY better!

That Power wash is a game changer in the kitchen as well. no need for dishwashers. they should sponsor your channel

I'm watching from the UK. Great advice. Off the top of my head, I'd add an accurate chain wear tool, chain whip and lockring tool. Love the focus on basic mineral lube. Of course, someone from the chain waxing Illuminati with their expensive strippers, croc pots and wax products will be along at any moment to tell you you're doing it wrong......but stay strong my friend 😊 👍

@jeremynorth

2 ай бұрын

I'm a chain wax type but don't use expensive anything. Any lubrication is better than none.

@osborn.creative

Ай бұрын

Pro link Gold. But better for dryer climates. I’ve yet to find anything that keeps a chain running quieter. Lubes are a very personal thing I guess.

@kevinbourke4038

Ай бұрын

​@@osborn.creative Yes, both in the workshop, and in the bedroom too. 😊

I will stay tuned. My bike, not so much. But I'll give it a shot.

That dawn power wash is something else, i use it to clean a lot of things around the house. Yeah, I've mixed IPA and Dawn dish soap together before, its quite good. I bought a cheap bike tool kit for $14 from Walmart that comes with 2 3 ways (one hex with an adapter to give it 4 sizes, and the other with socket style ends), a chain breaker, a screwdriver, a 15mm pedal tool, two tire levers, and a box of patches and glue.

Cone wrenches is must. One day, every biker will need them.

@bchearne

Ай бұрын

What is a cone wrench? I either don’t need one or I have one under a different name

Great video. Here's an idea...Why not complement this vid. with another showing exactly what you can do with those tools. Ex. a flat head screwdriver can also be used to clean crap off of jockey wheels, etc.

Back for more of the original charme. ;-)

I like how specific you are with your tools, I have all that but my stuff is just a random mess of stuff, I don't even know what some of it is, like so many random tire levers I have.

Thank you for being a simple reasonable man. Enjoy your future bike rides!

I remember in one video a while ago you talked about wearing gloves, you went on about petroleum products and cognitive decline and the type of people who may or may not understand what a term like that means. Ever since, that moment pops into my head often, and makes me laugh and smile every time. I'm not sure if you intended it but that lives on in my memories as a benchmark of pure comedic genius. As with a lot of the best comedy, I'm not even sure exactly what made it so funny to me. Anyway, thank you Mr. BikeFarmer!

Car instant detailer/spray wax is nice, cheaper than bike brand stuff, and odds are its probably the same. A big gallon jug of orange colored Zep degreaser from whatever box store or amazon is very useful to have. I like to use a garden pump sprayer for washing bikes since it produces a soft mist that won't force water into bearings, and uses very little water which is nice in winter when you don't have a hose spigot. I.e apartment dwellers. Toilet brushes (only used on a bike) are useful for cleaning grimy drive trains. Some kind of larger, soft brush is nice for knocking dust or dirt off areas like bottom bracket.

Scratchout buffing compound really makes a bike look new

I would add flat wrenchs for threaded headsets

Yeah, another fan of Dawn PowerWash thanks to you! I noticed you using it frequently in your videos and it looked so dang convenient. It works great, too, on super dried caked-on concrete-like mud that adheres to my mountain bike frame. I don't really like using a hose and dousing the bike in water. Instead, simply spray on some Powerwash and it softens the mud right up and then easily wipes away.

Awesome stuff man!!

Spot on sir .

gallon jug of triflow never saw that

Timing is everything!

Your so helpful thank you I love your channel your my favorite bicycle mechanic

Awesome video bud. Thank you

The round handle tools are made by Vessel. The quality is excellent.

I guess you havent tried Wera tools. If you had, you would have their hex set and screwdrivers ;)

@jeremynorth

2 ай бұрын

Yes Wera tools are top quality, also PB Swiss allen keys are the best

@bchearne

Ай бұрын

I sometimes take mine out and just look at them. I don’t know why, but they are eye candy

This video was super helpful. Thank you!

Good stuff

Great tips!

Thanks

Nice To see what you use and hear the model numbers as well

I expect a stand is a pre-requisite or perhaps not but trying to do anything on the adjustment side without a stand has turned out to be incredibly difficult. Will be my first purchase when I get back to my regular home where the better bike resides.

Best videos ever. Keep it coming ❤

Nice and precise! I would never use those three way tools especially as I have sets of allen keys, sockets and spanners.Park tools are good but overpriced. Excellent vid

Easy as that, what a great summary! Two things I would add, from my experience of decades using more or less the same tools. I stopped using an adjustable wrench when I found the Pliers Wrench by Knipex, yes they are expensive, but they last a lifetime and are far better to use. Second thing I wish I had bought far earlier is a ultrasonic bath, makes cleaning of disassembled parts far easier.

@jeremynorth

2 ай бұрын

Yes I have some and can back you up

So the Finishline 1 Step is the only product you need? No more degreaser and special lubricant needed? It says it does both. So just spray it in and that's it?

Try Ballistol oil, standard kind, not the bike specific. Great for pretty much everything.

Dollars sent actually touch his heart! Interesting, fascinating. lol

👍! Now that we're getting into riding season here in the north northern hemisphere, a video on roadside repairs, tools to bring along, might be popular.

Cool tricks And trip

To do a perfect job cutting cable casings, I use a handheld grinder with a cutting (thin cut off) wheel. I have a hole drilled in a scrap wood 4 x 4. I insert the cable casing into the hole and out to the other side where I use the grinding wheel to cut it flush with the wood scrap. It makes a nice, clean cut, and there’s no chance of crushing the cable

@bkefrmr

Ай бұрын

How efficient! Very practical! 🙄

I'm really enjoying your content. I get the Bob Ross homage especially when you are tuning up bikes. We use to have a great bike shop here similar to what you are doing but Trek took it over and pretty much killed it. Now that bike shop is closed. Keep it simple and keep up the good work!

I absolutely hate the park tools cable cutter. Looking forward to trying out the hozan!

@bkefrmr

2 ай бұрын

I’ve been using the same park tool cutter in the bike mobile for like eight years without any problems.

@Primifluous

2 ай бұрын

@@bkefrmr I find mine frays the cable and often cuts brake cable housing at an angle. Pulling the cable, and taking multiple snips of the housing works, but if the hozan works better I'm glad to swap.

@sprocketandwheel

2 ай бұрын

Please try to get a hold of a Felco C7..(made in Switzerland).. also, Knipex makes a great one as well.. The Pedro's cable cutters are a knock-off of the Felco..

@mattgies

2 ай бұрын

@@Primifluous Calvin Jones (the wizard of Park Tool) recommended using diagonal cutters to cut brake housing. Fold the housing where you want to cut it and let the jaws of the cutters find the gap in the spiral. Perfect cuts, 9 times out of 10 (after a little practice). I've been doing it that way ever since. I do use a Felco C7 for shift housing and inner cables.

@driver8sk

2 ай бұрын

Agreed, not a forgiving tool at all. If you don't have the housing at the perfectly square to the cutters it pinches.

Thank you so much for your video on essential tools!

@bkefrmr

Ай бұрын

Thanks hey!!

big fan! 🔧

Thanks!

@bkefrmr

2 ай бұрын

Thanks hey!

When you're lubing and wiping don't forget your penetrating fluid

@bkefrmr

Ай бұрын

Gross sicko perv weirdo

@joelopez7459

Ай бұрын

before or after

Old spoke spanning your stand lock jaw is helpful when sizing a replacement chain. I hang the new and old chain together by their inner plate ends to match their lengths. Plus, it really gives you a second view of chain stretch and weather the cassette should be binned or not.

A screwdriver, Phillips, JIS or flat blade, plunged through that warning chime would be my next modification 👍

I have had a pair of FELCO cable cutters for over 30 years. Great tool.

Thanks Andy!!

@No_ReGretzky99

Ай бұрын

I'm 38 I grew up 30 years in council bluffs Iowa 10 minutes from Omaha Nebraska😂😂😂😂

@Joe_from_iowa

Ай бұрын

@@No_ReGretzky99 I started RAGBRAI from there in 2009.

Excellent video. I advise you shake up that old gallon of Tri Flow. The teflon settles out when it sits for a long time. You have a link for the cone wrenches?

Skip the spray cans of degreaser. Get a SureShot refillable can that you charge with your compressor, and a gallon jug of brakleen. Super cheap, works on everything.,

@madmax2069

2 ай бұрын

A sure shot seems like a great idea at first, but it's a crap shoot on the one you buy lasting more than a few uses.

@dglcinc

Ай бұрын

@@madmax2069 If you get a real SureShot and not a knock off, they last forever. I've had mine for seven years and am on my third gallon of CRC Brakleen. You can (and should) disassemble and clean the jet when it's not working perfectly, and make sure you don't get dirt in the can (or strain it out when it gets there). Also, you can get rebuild kits (I've done one so far) for much less than the cost of a new can.

@oldschooldude3500

Ай бұрын

I like the sure shot cans. But why buy a gallon of brake cleaner when you can get a 55 gallon drum. That's what I use in the shop lol.

@oldschooldude3500

Ай бұрын

Really. A few times is all. As a mechanic that's been wrenching for 20 years I've got sure shot cans to last years. And that's using one everyday in the shop. They are great tool and they sell rebuild kits for them as well.

@davidlewis1886

Ай бұрын

@@oldschooldude3500Yeah, to go along with your drum of tri-flow. It would take me 7 lifetimes to use a 55 gal drum.

Hey andy, another great vid, u r an inspitation to me, i aint ridden a bicycle in nearly 2 decades but damn it if i hav,nt scored me a velocipede im aiming to get better physical fittness this year an thats dwn to u my friend u r an enigma and a true craftsman !!!!! ❤...

What no VAR tools, LOL! Excuse my silly humor. This was a great topic for a video and I am so glad the algorithm has brought me to your channel. I went out and bought the Dawn Power wash and like it and I didn't even think of furniture polish for the frame. I'll have to get some of this JIS spec tools because I know some of the cheaper tools could make things worst if I'm not careful. The precision of a quality tool is always worth the money.

Thank you for this video. Excellent idea. Yes, best universal gloves to have around. How about a video on tools you take with you when you do a longer ride or overnighter? I caught you on Path Less Pedaled. Great discussion with Russ.

Another video idea...."So you want to start a mobile bike repair shop....Here's what you need". Some content about the most profitable services, how to market the services, etc.

And, a torque wrench.

You should probably add a video about the tools that you keep in your bike, for maintenance "on the go", e.g. to fix a broken chain.

chain stretchy checker, , quick link/chain link pliers, chain breaker

@bkefrmr

2 ай бұрын

All non-essentials

I still have a tube of Phil Woods green waterproof grease from the 80s. I make eyeglass cleaner with Dawn liquid.

As a gravel rider I often get the bike muddy. After the ride I usually take it to the local self service car wash. Do you think that is too rough and what is the best way to clean?

Please do OPE! merch

Hi Andy, I've been watching a few of your bike cleanup and tuneup videos. Great Work!!!! I made my own bike hanging work bench using two tie down ratchet straps that I hang the bike from using my open garage rafters. So far I have cleaned and lubed up the chain, cables, set the side pull brakes and tuned up the gears on two bikes, Norco VFR commuter and Trek Marlin. Everything is running better than I would have gotten back from my local shop. Can you recommend lubes and cleaning products that can be bought at Canadian Tire or Walmart for the average Joe? I use WD-40, Gunk Degreaser and a chain wax (bike shop) with little or no problems although I'd like to find GP lube like your Tri-Flow. All those bike specialty lubes and cleaners are so marked up and are either mail order or over the top marked up if bought from a local shop. I really like the way you dry-clean the bike with Dawn Powerwash and Pledge. I used to keep a motorcycle really spiffed up with the Pledge. Cleans bugs off windshields too.

Chain whip should be high up on this list. Arguably before a wrench collection. Got to be able to pull your cassette. Unless there’s another way I’m not aware of. 😅🤔 Also two way quick link pliers. I know there are work arounds, but when you have a have a stubborn quick link, the last thing you want is your inner voice blaming the lack of the quick link pliers. At least when you have the pliers you can just come to terms with the fact that it’s probably your own damn fault.

I'd add a chain brush to the list.

I'm willing to relocate let me come work for you I'm in Memphis I'm an awesome bike cleaner you can pay me next to nothing and if you got property I live in a camper😂😂😂😂😂 love your videos man they helped me a lot what's sobriety and mountain biking for ADHD is awesome and I can work on them and tune them a little bit as well

Thanks. Thanks a lot. Now I’ve gone and bought a 1999 Lemond Buenos Aires. Yellow and red. So mad! You are trouble.

What's a good way to tighten up a tapered head tube the bottom as well instead of using channel locks on 38 and I'm old school😅😅😅😅❤❤❤❤

I recently replaced shifter cables and guides with just a generic pincher. I have to admit that I wouldn't do it many times, the cut isn't super clean and most importantly very hard to do (chinesium tends to flex a bit in this scenario). A poking tool brought back the needed roundness into the hole

Great vid, I already have half of this stuff, but I hardly ever thought about the cleaning end of things if I'm honest 😂, and now I have a good idea of what I need, thanks👍

@bkefrmr

2 ай бұрын

Thanks hey!!

@rdhcreations

2 ай бұрын

Last year when the only local bike shop closed where I live. I had to learn to work on my own bike. I was overwhelmed as to what I needed but it really only takes a few basic tools. I just add things as I might need them.

@robertmcfadyen9156

2 ай бұрын

​@@rdhcreationsCalvin Jones videos at the Park Tool channel are helpful . He is nice and well mannered / spoken .

@rdhcreations

2 ай бұрын

@@robertmcfadyen9156 I love Calvin. He is a wealth of knowledge 👍

@jm19592011

2 ай бұрын

If the bike is clean, the problem is easier to see - and when you clean it, you are checking it over at the same time.

Hi Andy, great video, thanks so much for sharing! Question about the Dawn Power Wash & Pledge cleaners that you recommend: are they safe for all frame materials? Steel, Aluminum and Carbon? What about my matte black carbon frame? Thanks again!

I’ve really enjoyed your videos. Question? Where did you get your shop apron. I’ve been thinking I need one for a long time but I never see them for sale.

@bkefrmr

2 ай бұрын

Stay tuned…we’re having more made!

Question for all the old guys out here - I worked at a shop in the early '80s and our default grease was Raleigh-branded stuff that was gray-ish with the consistency of creamy peanut butter. Anyone remember that stuff? Packed a lot of Bendix coaster brake hubs with it.

@joearnold3594

2 ай бұрын

Phil woods is what I've been using for a long time

@durden.tyler537

2 ай бұрын

Greyish color would imply that it is likely a calcium sulfonate or lithium based grease. Edit: could be bentonite grease if intended for coaster brake hubs.

@rudolphguarnacci197

2 ай бұрын

​@joearnold3594 Phil Woods was an alto sax player and was the soloist on Just the Way You Are.

Before Covid the gloves from Hobo Freight were under $10. I don't wear gloves too often but have some pretty tactile gardening gloves that I can throw in the wash or even just "wash my hands" with them on to clean up.

@bkefrmr

2 ай бұрын

Yeah. I actually cut my commentary about that out of the video. I paid like $25/box for 5 boxes when I found some during Covid. Just ran out!

@LemonySnicket-EUC

Ай бұрын

They do go on sale often again. I settle for the 7's offen.

I would add a 90 degree pick and spoke wrench(s)

Hi from Portugal :) Really like your videos and overall nom pretentious atitude. Question, what would you use to lube front suspensions? My bike's front shocks are getting super gunky and building up a lot of residue around by the suspension rings. Would it be ok to just clean it and spray some chain lube in there? Many thanks :)

I've seen you wrestle with some tires - a Kool Stop Tire Bead Jack is handy. I'll stop with the comments now.

What is your opinion on waxing your bicycle chain?

@rodforney7184

2 ай бұрын

For the average customer no way is it going to be worth it cost wise or hassle wise. For people who are riding lots of miles on gravel and dirty but dry conditions give it a try things seem to last longer and you have to clean your chain less.

@deltafour1212

2 ай бұрын

@@rodforney7184 You just helped make my decision. THANK YOU!

Got a cannondale caad8 with bb30 bottom bracket. What tool/s would i need for bb30 removal/reinstallation and servicing.

@rodforney7184

2 ай бұрын

ParkTool has some really good info on this stuff here on youtube. kzread.info/dash/bejne/qXiXm9R6itTVo8Y.htmlsi=j79WSWRa4YCYgSL9

Cone wrenches are the only tools that I've noticed I need. I've also noticed if you live in an area that has a community bike stand with a pump and tools attached you may night need to go out and buy any tools. I typically find them in large community parks with recreation centers and along bike paths. Can anyone confirm that these community stands would be a good option for performing most basic repairs?

@staticdisaster

2 ай бұрын

From my experience, they're not. Our city has a few on the bike/walking trails. They may be heavy duty but they are almost always typically rusted, almost always missing the right size allen wrench, and the pumps are non-functional/vandalized.

Pedal wrench is one more essential tool. Well, two more. Both the 15mm thin open end, and an 8mm long hex (preferably with a handle).

@bchearne

Ай бұрын

I have one set of pedals that takes a 15mm wrench, another takes a 17mm, and a third has no wrench flats and takes an 8mm Allen. Nothing is ever standardized properly

@dperreno

Ай бұрын

@@bchearne So true. I have one with 6mm hex as well.

This is going to sound goofy, but where did you find that shop apron? I have tried several and found them lacking, especially the straps. Yours looks interesting.

It’s incredible how nitrile gloves have almost doubled in price since 2020. But yeah, definitely wear gloves. I prefer to use Simple Green as a degreaser, but that’s just me. I keep tri-flow as a just in case to hit cables or as I discovered, to hit the pins on the hinges of my Brompton

What tool is best for removing and putting back the clip that holds the sprocket on IGH and single speed hubs?

@mattgies

2 ай бұрын

You're looking for snap ring/circlip pliers. Where I work we use a Cal-Van #268. Looks like it's discontinued but the Knipex # 45 10 170 appears to be equivalent. Or you can use a small flathead screwdriver and a lot of swearing. Always wear safety goggles because those clips go flying off!

@robertunderdunkterwilliger2290

2 ай бұрын

No this is a different kind of clip, its just a ring, no holes.@@mattgies

@mattgies

2 ай бұрын

​@@robertunderdunkterwilliger2290 Yes, I understand you're referring to a flat snap ring, Shimano # Y32120100. The Cal-Van and Knipex tools I listed are the best option I know of. Or try your luck with a screwdriver.

PB BLASTER!, it's the best stuff for breaking free stuck parts, I get the big cans at O'Reilly's for about 9 bucks and a can lasts a long time even when it's getting used on non bike stuff (cars/trucks, tractors, farm equipment, riding lawn mowers, small engines)

@No_ReGretzky99

Ай бұрын

PB BLASTER is amazingly good and cheap I 2nd this 🎉🎉

@oldschooldude3500

Ай бұрын

Pb blaster is good stuff. I like it very well. Another good one is areoknoil. It is more expensive but very very good stuff. Like it better than pb blaster.

@joelopez7459

Ай бұрын

sold at HF

Look at WPL grease - it's from the PNW - "Whistler Performance Lubricants". Their "Absolute Bike Grease". It's supposedly biodegradable...I pack hub bearings with it - it's carbon friendly, can be used anywhere for anything.

@gaiyabum

Ай бұрын

I’m gonna check that out

Great video. I need to get one of those 3 way Allen wrenches. I keep losing the goddamn things, especially the 4mm and 5mm. I was ready to make a necklace of them. EDIT: would you be up for Q&A for us DIYers?

0:19 Always wear your rubbers!!!!

Nitrile gloves are now so expensive I’m considering whether or not cancer would be cheaper. Yet another reason to switch away from SRAM brakes to something that uses mineral oil, since DOT fluids are the most toxic thing I ever use on a bike. Also, switch to a waxed chain and you’ll never need degreaser. Also eliminates the toxic Teflon from your arsenal

I love you bikefarmer, and I love some of the teflon properties since it's just the best..however, I happen to live in Dordrecht, where we have chemours, the pfas whatever company. We are truly fukked around here, you know how bad something has to be before the government steps in? well, we officially can't swim in our so called preserved nature area because of the pfas shit. Many ppl died of cancer that lived close, we always wondered why there was always a home available in that area. Maybe because it's next to a trash burning plant...that's also relatively close to a water treating facility..idk guys Ps: do they still sell teflon based stuff in the usa?

Is degreaser like WD 40?

@bkefrmr

Ай бұрын

No

Looks like you are missing the Park chain cleaning/degreasing tool. What's the point of putting lube on a dirty chain?

I used to think that those 3-in-1 tools were a bit of a gimmick. However, once you start using them… so useful 😊

@papalegba6796

2 ай бұрын

Agree. Still too mean to buy one though.

but is there validity to it?

I've always used 3-in-one oil for everything, including the chain. It was the go-to oil when I was a kid, and I just never bothered with the newer stuff. Does the oil with PTFE make a difference?

@papalegba6796

2 ай бұрын

In my experience ptfe oil gives a bit more water resistance, rust protection, & lasts longer between applications, than standard oil like 3 in 1. Slightly slicker gear changes too. You can get it for the same price as 3 in 1, Weldtite tf2 all weather for example. So, all things being equal, it is better imo.

@DevoteeCT

Ай бұрын

3-in-one makes an excellent PTFE lubricant.

What’s do you recommend for a good spoke tightener?

7:30 - Who makes his favorite cone wrenches? The name isn't clear. Edit: It's Pedros - relatively expensive (in a big set).

You forgot, MasterLink pliers, and a chain tool

@bkefrmr

Ай бұрын

No I didn’t. I omitted them. Not essential for a basic tuneup

Japanese Industrial Standard

That old school triflow should last you a few months at least!