>>2082869
I used to work as a bicycle mechanic at a few shops. That was about a decade ago. No idea where the industry is at these days. How much demand is there for bike mechanics in the US these days? Is it still shit pay? If I get back into the industry am I gonna constantly be expected to work on faggots' motorcycles ("""ebikes""")? I don't follow industry trends much either, are bb standards, headset standards, etc all pretty similar to a decade ago or will I have a lot of new stuff to brush up on if I get back into the industry?

I have heard that with so many jobs being taken over by tech along with less people wanting to do physical labor, jobs like bike mechanic are paying a bit better and there is more demand for experienced bike mechanics. I could see that going either direction.

>>2082870
>How much demand is there for bike mechanics in the US these days?
zero because everything is proprietary, comes with a warranty that is specifically calculated to last one day less than the sum of parts, and anyone cheap enough to need service will just get a new 75$ bike off of Marketplace and anyone with a 10,000$ Tr*k will simply buy another 10,000$ Tr*k because the new one has [marginal gain feature]

> I gonna constantly be expected to work on faggots' motorcycles ("""ebikes""")?
no, most LBS's dont work on ebikes at all. there's one(1) near me that will install kits but refuse any further service on any part of the drivetrain as a result, which basically means all they will do after that is install a 3$ tube for you for 30$ and in this economy even the biggest wrenchlets will simply learn how to do the basics themselves (or get another 75$ marketplace bike to transplant parts to)

>jobs like bike mechanic are paying a bit better and there is more demand for experienced bike mechanics.
experience is a detractor because everything is proprietary and the made-up "standards" change every year.

>>2082877
That $75 bike is gonna need plenty of adjustments and likely replacement parts, and I just read a few days ago about a bike mechanic shortage in Europe. When you say low demand are you talking from actual knowledge of the state of the industry or just assuming?
>most LBSs dont work on ebikes
If that is true thats relieving to hear

>>2082879
>That $75 bike is gonna need plenty of adjustments and likely replacement parts,
again, in this economy, they wont pay 30$ for a tire change. either they'll get a real car and eat those costs, or look on youtube how to wedge a tire off

>When you say low demand are you talking from actual knowledge of the state of the industry or just assuming?
im just assuming, but based on LBSs in my area opening up and shutting down like crypto startups. the only ones that seem to survive are legit motorcycle dealerships that happen to sell ebikes too. the only "LBS" i know of that has lasted as long as I've lived here (i moved to my city somewhat recently) is a literal charity.

>>2082882
Hmm ok, ty for the input, I hope that you are wrong and that what I read about demand going up is right

>>2082885
consider your skills and whether anyone would really pay for them

what can you do for me that I can't do myself

>>2082885
totally the opposite in my city. there's more lbs's than ever. we also have bike lanes and MUPs now, so way more people are riding than before. at least one of the new shops is ebike only, another new one does both. not sure about how the older shops do it.

>>2082888
>what can you do for me that I can't do myself
for you? maybe nothing. for lazy fuck boomers and zoomers unwilling to read a Sheldon Brown article? plenty
>>2082889
based

>>2082890
>for lazy fuck boomers and zoomers unwilling to read a Sheldon Brown article? plenty
name one who wouldn't just dumpster his 10,000$ tr*k for a new 12,000 dollar model

I have an aluminium frame with a rigid aluminium fork.
I fucked up by trying to align the dropouts, and now I don't feel like using the fork anymore.
All the replacement forks readily available are have a 10-20mm longer axle to crown.
How safe is running a slightly longer fork? I don't want the frame to suddenly snap because of the extra stress/fatigue.
The bike will be used as a regular city bike.

>>2082891
most of them cannot afford that and you know it, stop being obtuse

>>2082877
>>2082877
>>2082891
I am genuinely curious, what do you ride?

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>>2082894

>>2082895
anon...

>>2082895
THIS FAGGOT IS NOT REAL

Everyone ITT is getting trolled. This is honestly such a fucking dumb board I can't get over it.

>>2082905
this is a dumb website for dumbs
don't like it go make ur own feggit

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>no funny image in the op
lets fix that

>>2082914
nooo m'ladies!

>>2082892
tbqh I wouldn't trust anything that you had wrenched on regardless of spec.

depending on the frameset 10mm longer may change geometry enough to be noticeable and those may or may not be desirable changes depending on your needs ands preferences.
durability I would not worry about so much. 20mm and there start to be question marks, again notsomuch around durability - though again it depends on the frameset. if it's one of those early alu cannondales with the sanded down welds, you are taking a risk. if it's an overbuilt frame with perfect welds the risk is obviously less.

the objectively correct thing to do is to bin your project and buy something built by someone else because you have no fucking idea what you are doing :)

>>2082936
>bin your project
literally all he did was end up with a bent fork and try unsuccessfully to align it, he doesn't need a whole fucking new bike just because his fork is fucked you absolute retard, the objectively correct thing for him to do is buy a new fork, I cannot advise on if the extra 10-20mm will be problematic as I have no experience trying it

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Should I get more attachments for my ebike? I already got a good lock. It doesn’t have a HUD with speedometer so might get one off egay.

>>2082944
>>>/o/

>>2082943
how strange, we frequently exchange forks between negative integers of 20-110mm here without consequence

>>2082950
?

What are some decent clothing options for longer rides besides lycra? I don't want to be encased in a plastic film, or look like a pedarast while out and about. Nor do I want the associated microplastics absorbing through my skin while riding, or shedding onto other clothing when washed.

>>2082962
a lot of winter gear is made of merino wool, I guess.
I've been cycling all my life but I've never bought any bike specific clothes. I just wear stuff I already have. it gets really hot here in the summer so I usually don't wear a shirt at all then (and carry a washcloth for sweat). if I'm riding to the store etc I just bring a shirt with me and cool down outside until the sweat quits pouring off me and my breathing is back to normal, then put the shirt on and go inside.

>>2082869
I have some questions about riding your Bike in the rain. What should I do, maintenance wise, on my bike after riding in heavy rain for a couple of hours? Keep in mind I have a simple MTB bike from walmart with exposed cables for the front and rear derailleur.

>>2082971
Store it inside, nothing special needs to be done after riding in the rain. If you wanna be really particular you can wipe it dry (especially the chain) after the ride.
Wet lube holds up better than dry lube especially when riding in rain, lube your chain with something like Finish Line Wet Lube whenever the chain starts seeming dry (or every ~150 miles), look at topnigger (link in op) for detailed directions on lubing a chain
Dont worry about the cables too much, if they ever get rusty or stiff you can oil the cables (and the derailleur pivot points and springs) with something like Dri Slide Bike Aid, but that is something you'll likely need to do only once a year or less even if you ride in the rain regularly as long as you store your bike inside (no harm doing it more often if you want to tho)

>>2082971
back when I daily commuted, I'd get caught out in the pouring rain no more than once a month usually, or maybe every 3 months minimum. so, I'd use it as an opportunity to do my regular chain maintenance since it's a little easier to clean on the bike when it's already soaked and has been knocking all the gunk loose from the motion of pedaling.
but sometimes I just didn't want to fuck with all that.
the minimum I'd do is: bounce the bike on the tires, spin wheels halfway and bounce again. then wipe down the chain with a rag, and the RD pulleys and maybe blot the gears. grip the chain with a rag and hand pedal backwards, then move to a clean spot on the rag and repeat a couple times.

BUT if I was ok with spending 20min on my chain (you have to service your chain sometimes anyway), then:
turn the hose on low/medium flow so the spray doesn't get into my bearings accidentally. pour the water over the chain. black and then grey water will come off so make sure you're not going to stain like a nice new concrete driveway or whatever. (since I use rim brakes, I'll also pour water on the rims and the surface of the brake pads now, too. grey water also comes off.)
next cover my rear rim with a rag and douse the chain with WD40, not as a lube but to Displace the Water. now take the rag and wipe down chain as already explained. bounce the water off the bike like above and go inside and use actual chain lube on the chain: one drop per roller.

it's way easier to do this than take the chain off and shake it in a jar of solvent since the crud is all loose after a wet ride and it rinses right off, and the little solvent in WD40 takes care of the rest. and you really need to wipe the chain after a soaking wet ride anyway, so it's actually the laziest way to do chain maintenance.

>>2082980
oh, after lubing, you really should always wipe off the extra since it only needs lube internally, in case you didn't already know that

Are Marino custom frames and forks good?

>>2082971
if you're a rim brake chad/loser wipe your rims. rain is dirty on its own plus road gunk splashing on there will contaminate your brakes real quick. you dont gotta bake shit in the oven and all this, a dry rag to remove the worst of the crud will suffice

modern cables are teflon coated and shouldnt rust from exposure to the elements. by the time they do they're fucked up in other ways anyway. take a blob of vaseline in a paper towel and run your chain through it (just crank it backwards by hand for like 30 seconds). you dont need to wash excess off, just run it until there aren't big blobs of it left

wd40 makes cyclists seethe for some reason but it's very good for putting on your brake posts or into your gears or w/e. helps break up some of the crud and leave at least a little bit of lubrication inbetween deep cleanings

speaking of deep cleaning if you are a niglet with rim brakes, take them entirely off, disassemble, and wash them once in a while. crud tends to build up in the housing with the return spring or between the arms and whatever they're mounted to and can fuck with adjustment or make them not return fully or consistently

>>2083006
>crud tends to build up in the housing with the return spring or between the arms and whatever they're mounted to and can fuck with adjustment or make them not return fully or consistently

never in all my years of messenging and commuting on rim has this ever happened to me. sounds like you just had bad luck with a particular set of brakes

>>2083008
it happened to me all the fucking time until i got mad at how shit they were and replaced them

some brakes are just made badly i guess, and i imagine a walmart mtb would probably have similarly cheap brakes. it's something to look at if after some inclement weather or dirty environments suddenly your brakes aren't so much weak as simply behave oddly

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what if the front chainring ran along a spindle, wouldn't it always have a perfect chainline? Some changes may be needed on the chain itself and the chainring but i don't see why it wouldn't be feasible

>>2083018
I think external factors like tilting the bike would have a greater effect on the chain line than the rear derailleurs position, just throwing the chainring around left to right on turns and bumps at least if it's just a simple as-low-friction-as-feasible system. would probably end up with issues when the chainring slides to the opposite side as the derailleur.

>>2083018
yeah but it's completely unnecessary and just chain tension alone wouldn't make it float in the right spot, you'd basically need a front derailleur type assembly that moves with your rear one so at that point why not just have a full multi ""chainring"" assembly with a derailleur instead of just the world most niggerlicious Non-Continual CVT

>>2083018
chains are designed to have side-to-side play already, literally what is the point of this

>>2083021
maybe a pre-tensioning mechanism would help it, but i think at the end the chain position would be dictated by the rear derailleur, which in change would keep everything alligned.

>>2083024
Agreed about how gheto it'd be, but even then gearboxes are too bulky and lossy as is and only feasible for e-boikes. The way some electronic gears work currently by shifting the front mech automatically would solve half of the issue, but then again i hate electronics on bikes.

>>2083025
misalignment in chains is the main source of drivetrain losses what are you on about

>>2083027
>maybe a pre-tensioning mechanism would help it,
homeboy's derailleur doesn't already have spring loading KEK WHAT A BITCH

>misalignment in chains is the main source of drivetrain losses
oh no those 0.001w you'll never get back, oml, surely your sliding front chainring is entirely frictionless and will never lose you watts as it moves around, assuming it even keeps alignment properly

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>>2083027
>Big Bike chooses to dump the idea of multiple front gears

>Big Bike is now shilling a complex system of moving parts to slide your chain back and forth on a single """chainring""""

Or you can retvrn

What does /n/ think of the GT Grade Carbon Elite bike? Got one a bit ago at a really good discount, partially also as a carrot to get into the hobby more. It's a really nice ride so far in my experience, but god knows if my favorite anime website doesn't approve of it then why even bother.

[spoiler] also how many of you jack off to that one instagram bike porn account[/spoiler]

>>2083041
Those toggle shifters are aids

>>2083018
Just get two chainrings
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/6bBN8Gh5Rjo

>>2083045
all new bikes are retarded

>>2082892
You'll just have slightly worse cornering. >>2083006
>wd40 makes cyclists seethe for some reason
Because people do it weong and then contaminate their brakes, be it rotors, rim braking surface and pads. Extra care has to be taken when using it. It also isn't long lasting. Yes it's good for cleaning out crud but you shouldn't count on regular wd40 as lubricant as it dries out quick

>>2082997
They have a cult following. I've heard good things about them from steel hard tail enthusiasts. I've been meaning to buy one of their forks and frames.

>>2082962
Army PT shorts are pretty good, they have built in underwear and have tiny pockets for condoms and the like

>>2083057
>Because people do it weong and then contaminate their brakes,
nah people will freak out if you use it on your chain or headtube or wherever else. lycrafags just seethe whenever you use a product that isnt Bike Specific

see also: the Muc-Off Cult

>>2083027
>misalignment in chains is the main source of drivetrain losses what are you on about
lol. lmao

>>2083068
Lycra fags don't count as their all retarded and don't know how to wrench. Majority of people who do wrench still don't like wd40 and rightfully so as it's just not good, still better than running a dry chain though

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>have to awkwardly tilt the entire bike every time you remove or install the seatpost or the seat clamp will drop into the frame and get stuck under the bottom bracket
Is Orbea retarded?

>>2083085
looks like you answered your own question

>>2083079
>still better than running a dry chain though

it is not

>>2083088
Anything is better than a dry chain. Used both WD40 and sunflower oil in a pinch and they worked fine.

>>2083085
is removing the seatpost something you regularly do? also this is pretty common for wedges

>>2083070
nice reply retard. Get me one more relevant drivetrain loss, I'm waiting.

>>2083085
>every time you remove or install the seatpost
as if I did that more than once a year?

>>2083085
lycrafags will say this is good and there is no other way to install a seatpost

>>2083092
>Get me one more relevant drivetrain loss,
gear being off axis, which will happen when you let it free float on a spindle

>>2083095
it won't be off-axis since the tension from the rear derailleur will pull it in allignment.

>>2083088
Found the retard.

>>2083102
based wd40 hater

>>2082971
a set of full coverage fenders is the best investment a rider who sometimes rides in heavy rain can possibly make.
not only does the road spray not get on you, it doesn't get on your drivetrain, brake calipers, frame.
the difference is night and day, and I wish I'd have bought them a decade earlier.

>>2083096
if it's so smart why don't you try it?

>>2083110
Fenders aren't aero and are just extra weight that loses watts.

Do you think Tadej runs fenders? Hmm wonder why he might not.... But surely you're so much better than him, you know what's best.

>>2083119
I'll consider that next time I'm riding my fendered bike through a rainstorm in a UCI sanctioned event, dipshit.

>>2083120
Post your KOM?

Ohhhh waittt you have none...

You're slow...

Definitely going to listen to your retarded opinions in the future. Keep drinking WD40 furfag retard, some of us actually ride.

>>2083121

lol, drunk or schizophrenic?

>>2083124
>clink clink glug glug
Shut the fuck up retarded WD40 drinking furfaggot. You will never have KOM and you will always be slow. Not just in the head, on the road too. Lol.

>>2083125
you seem to have me mistaken for somebody else

>>2083124
Resident troll trying new material

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Is the difference between a ball bearing and a industrial bearing front hub noticable for a normal non-ebike?

>>2083178
No, as long as the cup/cone bearing's preloead is correct and is packed with grease they will last, that being said if it does fuck up you're SOL.
Also those vlechtservice hubs are overpriced to fuck and back.

>>2083178
Cup and cone is based and the newer shimano hubs are super easy to clean and adjust

>>2083178
I got my first cartridge bearing hub a couple years ago for my fast bike. my other bike, and a lifetime of previous bikes, has cup and cone hubs.
I have not detected any difference, no.
cup and cone is not really the hassle they're made out to be. there is some care involved setting them up but afterwards you can forget about them for a long, long time. apparently they consume less watts, too, but you're not capable of noticing the difference without scientific measurements.